


Crowns and Arrows

by SevenSidedStories



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medieval, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Bottom Keith (Voltron), Child Abuse, Daddy Issues, Fluff and Angst, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Prince Keith (Voltron), Slow Burn Keith/Lance (Voltron), Smut, Top Lance (Voltron), Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 44
Words: 249,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25087435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SevenSidedStories/pseuds/SevenSidedStories
Summary: "Shhh..." he whispered behind his ear, through the mask that kept his identity hidden from the world. "Cooperate, and you'll go to bed completely unharmed."As Prince of Daibazaal, Keith's life isn't as perfect as it should be. Between the endless studies and training, his cruel father and an unwanted, arranged marriage, the last thing he needed was for a certain blue eyed thief to turn his world upside down.Lance, on the other hand, doesn't care much for royalty, though he is faced with them daily in his job as the royal hunter. To help his sick mother, he breaks into the castle at night under a different identity, The Blue Spark.Will the cheerful Lance be able to crack through Prince Keith's harsh exterior? And will the secretly caring Keith show Lance what it's like to be loved? Or will they stay stuck in their own lives, too stubborn to work together to deal with the danger of a rebellion against the cruel tiranny of King Zarkon?Since this is taken from an rp, half the credits go to the wonderful, lovely, gorgeous @RavenfeatherTheLoner from Wattpad. She writes the parts of Lance and many others perfectly. ♡
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 27
Kudos: 155





	1. The Rocky Start To A Terrific Lovestory

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. To place you in context without giving away too much of this story's point of view, I'll say it started in a cold winter, where the forest had become a labyrinth of snow and ice.  
The gusting wind blew thick flurries to sweep away the hunter's tracks, but buried along with them any signs of potential quarry. 

Hunger had brought him farther from the castle than he usually risked, but winter was the hard time. The animals had pulled in, going deeper into the woods than most hunters could follow.

He wasn't just any hunter though.

Leandro 'Lance' McClain had been raised in peasantry, son of a sick woman and a man with high expectations, multiple siblings, many people to make up to, expectations to fulfill. 

He'd been hunting since he was old enough to hold a bow and shoot an arrow to a moving target, therefore it was no surprise he'd been recognized in the village as the best one at the job, and eventually his reputation made it's way to commander Shiro's ears, captain of Daibazaal's royal guard. 

He was still surprised he got to see royalty almost every day now, but of course, he was just barely more than a villager. He'd never get noticed by the scary king or his spoiled - yet handsome - son. And that's just what he wanted.

You think he'd support his family with just a hunter salary? At night, when all maids and most centuries were long gone to their respective households, the dark skinned boy snuck into the castle and took a few things.  
Or it was like that in the beginning.

His mother's weird disease had worsened by the years and what he gained from the small jewelery on the walls just wasn't enough. 

This time, with his dark clothing, mask covering his nose and jaw, only his bright eyes left to be seen as deep royal blue in the moonlight, he went further. Overstepped. He'd been seen sometimes by a few guards who now called him the blue spark as his eyes were the only thing they saw before being knocked out. 

He wasn't scared, just slightly under pressure due to getting closer and closer to the royal chambers, where he knew crown jewels were kept. He needed the money, he repeated himself over and over as he catched the gold glimmer in the corner of his eye, quietly approaching them as an inevitable feeling of guilt went up his stomach.

Prince Keith knew the layout of the Castle like the back of his hand. He had discovered every nook and cranny, every far off hallway and secret chamber. 

He'd spent most of his youth hiding, hiding from his father, his guards, even his own servants.  
Things had changed when he'd gotten older. Always watched, except for those occasional meetings alone with his father. None of the staff ever said anything about it, but they could all see the bruises and scratches, the physical damage on his body everytime he came back out of that chamber. That was his own weight to carry.

Besides, they were always his own fault. For every mistake he made in public, a bruise. For everytime he showed emotion, another cut. It was quite simple. Don't mess up, stay safe. 

It had been a few weeks since he'd fucked up last. He had failed to use the appropriate title for one of his Lords. His father.. He hadn't been happy. But that wasn't important.  
What was important was that he needed to get ready for the royal visit tomorrow, where they would receive the Prince from their neighbouring kingdom. Keith had never really liked him, but since they were guests, he had to be nice. That was expected of him. He sighed and walked on, back from his study to finally get some well deserved rest. 

He was almost there, when he heard something. Huh? It was way too late for any servant to be roaming around, and the guards wouldn't make their rounds for another half an hour. Who was it?  
It seemed to be coming from the treasure room, which was in the hallway next to his own. He made a detour, just to check. It was probably nothing. 

He froze when he saw the door stand ajar. That should be closed. He made his way over, and opened it further.

Gold coins, rubies, emeralds, chains. The 'Blue Spark' had already saved multiple things on his belt compartments and pockets when the faint sound of steps approaching the room created a cold shiver down his spine.

He'd normally waited to attack first and ask questions later, but the uneasiness of not knowing who it was told him it was better to hide, and so he did. 

He had just enough time to place himself behind a huge treasure box, letting the pitch black hooded cloak blend him with the rather dark room. He held a fancy mirror, using it to see what the person in that room would do without exposing himself to the open as he tried to contain his breath.

The faint flickers thrown by the torches in the hallway cascaded off the glimmering coins, gems and other treasures inside the room, but it seemed to be abandoned otherwise. 

Keith sighed deeply after realising he'd been holding his breath during all of this. He was just being paranoid. But he didn't leave yet.

Instead, he walked into the middle of the room, kicking away some golden coins at his feet accidentally, which made a clattering sound that echoed through the room. 

All these riches, and still he was.. empty. He knew some parts of the kingdom lived in poverty, and he wished he could do something about that. But he couldn't.  
Inequality was necessary for a kingdom to thrive, his father always said. You can't have riches without poverty. You can't have light without shadows. You can't have happiness without pain. And you couldn't be trained without pain. 

He bit his lip and stood there for a while, unable to shake the feeling that something was off. He didn't come here that often, not feeling the need to remind himself of their wealth, but still.. There was something different. 

His eyes narrowed slightly, and he walked over to a table with a heavy stone bust which vaguely resembled his great grandmother, who had died many years previously. He didn't know much about her, aside from the fact that she'd been obsessed with clothes, and looking fancy, and.. and juwelry. 

The ruby necklace, usually draped over her stone neck, wasn't there. He traced his fingers over the stone, trying to remember if it had been missing before. Maybe it had been taken away for cleaning or something.  
Maybe..

The moment the red clothing, pale skin and - utterly obnoxious - mullet were reflected on the mirror, Leandro 'Lance' McClain's heart stopped beating, paralyzed in shock. 

Out of everyone, it had to be fucking royalty? The fact that with just one mistake he could be sued and hanged made this at least ten times ten more difficult. 

He really wished he had his bow right now, not to hurt him, since he would never be able to live a calm life if a scratch on his pretty skin was made because of him, but because he could use it to his advantage.

However, any good hunter or any thief was resourceful, and he was both. 

The treasure box he was hiding next to was close enough to the prince, and as he saw him getting lost by the missing jewel the thief had now in his pocket, he steadied his breathing before taking the chance.

In a quick, not too loud movement he charged to him from behind before he could even turn, shutting his mouth before he could scream, placing the sharp, cold edge of his dagger before he could even breathe. 

"Shhh..." He whispered behind his ear, through the mask that kept his identity hidden from the world. "Cooperate, and you'll go to bed completely unharmed."


	2. Royalty Are Dicks

Keith's eyes widened, and his scream of surprise was muffled by the glove over his mouth.   
Shit, he'd fucked up. Why was he so stupid? He should have watched his surroundings. Always stay vigilant. That's what Shiro always said. Why couldn't he just listen for once in his life? 

He'd been trained for a situation like this, but all the lessons drowned hopelessly in fear. Keith was afraid.   
His father would have been mad at him if he saw this. Fear was one of the many emotions the King despised. He was allowed to feel triumph, or anger, but not fear. No, never fear. It was a sign of weakness. 

He tried to look around at his assailant, but it did nothing. Alright, go over the instructions. What to do if you get attacked.   
One, get loose. That wouldn't work. The man/woman behind him was taller than he, and stronger too, and he didn't feel like slicing his neck open on that sharp metal.   
Two, call for help. That wouldn't work either. Even if he could scream, the guards were at least five minutes away, at best. The thief could gather his treasure, slit his throat and still get away.   
And three, if all else fails, negotiate. His father strongly disapproved of this part, but Shiro had insisted on teaching him.   
According to the King, it was nobler to die than to negotiate with your captors. But Keith didn't think the man -he was almost certain it was a man, judging by his size and voice, though it was difficult to hear through that mask- was up for negotiation. 

Keith couldn't let him go with the treasure. If his father found out he'd been bested by a simple thief, he might just kill him. That would be unpleasant.   
He just wanted to go to bed, he was so tired. So he stopped struggling and stayed quiet, waiting for the thief to speak again.

Seconds, maybe a brief minute passed as he felt the prince freezing, then shaking and hyperventilating, panicking and probably looking through his options before surrendering under his grip.   
Helpless and obedient. 

"Good, here's what we'll do." He kept his tone low, almost whispering as he loosened his hand and let go of his mouth, the dagger still resting on his throat.   
"You'll sit facing that corner of the room and wait for five minutes as I leave, then go to your room like nothing ever happened. Understood?"   
He couldn't take much anyway, the jewels and coins already feeling heavy on his limited belt pockets. "It's just a bit of gold, you won't even notice it's gone."   
Wrong, he'd apparently noticed the missing ruby, but out of all that gold? What he pretended to steal wouldn't be more but a speck of dust in all that exaggerated luxury they lived In.

Keith slowly shook his head, careful not to let the knife scrape over his throat. "I can't let you go," he whispered. "You're stealing from us. You will be hanged for this." 

He didn't like making threats, but it was all he could do now. And it was the truth. Stealing from the royal castle was bad enough, but threatening the crown Prince with a knife.. He would be killed before he could walk out of here, if the guards caught him.   
Then again, his father had never been one for quick deaths to criminals. He preferred to let them suffer till the end.   
Keith had attended floggings and people being buried alive for disrespecting his father. Maybe he wouldn't go quite that far for his son, but still. Anyone who touched the Prince was bad for their reputation, if they were let go unpunished. 

Keith remembered when one of his servants had accidentally spilled some boiling tea on him. It had been painful, but not nearly as painful as seeing that servant being flogged until his back was bare and bloody.   
It had made Keith's stomach turn violently.  
But his father said that any good ruler attended the execution of the punishments they'd spoken. 

Back to the present, he couldn't let this man go. Especially not with that Ruby, and who knows what else he had in his pockets. The man would be torn to pieces by those who found him, and Keith didn't even want to think what would happen to hím. It wouldn't be good. So he shook his head again. "No."

The demanding tone of the prince was slightly surprising to his.. - was he an assailant now? Well, he was being pretty violent and threatening, not that he wanted to, but nothing that could be helped. - having in mind he was just shaking a brief moment ago.   
He had to admit the word 'hanged' said out loud made his stomach twist a bit. Despite that he couldn't give up. 

"Dead threatening the one who has a blade on your throat, pretty prince?" He dared him, pressing it just a tad more, being careful not to really cut him.   
"I thought you were smarter. Just let me go, no honor nor bullshit involved, you know this won't cost you anything," he reproached, utterly disgusted by them bathing in gold while their village starved. "You don't need it. I don't want to hurt you, but you'll give me no choice if you don't loosen up your royal greediness."

Keith swallowed with difficulty, his adam's apple moving against the blade. He needed to stall. Soon, the guards would be making their rounds and they would definitely notice the door to the treasury being open.   
"It's not greediness," he spoke carefully. "I don't care about the money." He didn't even have to lie. The thief could take their whole castle and he'd thank him for it. It was his father that cared about stuff like this. And if something mattered to his father, it mattered to the Prince.   
"But you still can't take it. My father- The king wouldn't like that." He needed to remember to use the appropriate titles, even to this lowlife.   
"So put back what you've taken, and get out. They will kill you if they catch you. Only an idiot would try to steal from the king. And I'll be fine. Or not, depending on whether you'll kill me. But you will definitely die." 

He tilted his head back a little further when the knife came closer, and tilted his face to look at his assailant. All he could see before he was forced ahead again was a flash of blue amids a dark ocean.

As he made sure the prince didn't get to look at him for too long, the brunette frowned, making a mental list about all the tiny details he'd revealed him.   
He didn't care about money? A prince? ...If he thought hard enough it somehow made sence. Someone who'd always had dinner served on a silver plate - the boars Lance had hunted himself - would never be able to appreciate how lucky they were, compared to peasants like himself. 

True it was, that King Zarkon was probably the scariest person he'd ever seen, besides the landowner that came to their house every month asking for the rent payback of course, but something about the prince's words was... darker, as if he'd barely seen the surface of what that man was really capable of. 

He couldn't even tell if his last sentence was a threat or honest concern. Probably threat, idiot. Royalty didn't care about people like him. 

"I'll only die if I get caught." He pointed out the prince's own words. He knew he had to get going or else he'd had to run from the guard in shift, but no matter what: "I never get caught." Pride was obvious in his tone as he revealed he'd been there before, stolen from them before.   
Hadn't he heard about him? He should be like a vivid myth to the castle guards by now.   
An idiot, he'd called him? Couldn't he see he was a true professional? "Don't you think I already know the risks? That I haven't seen my people tortured to death by you?" The venom in his tongue was impossible to hide. "...I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for a good reason. I... I need this money."   
And just as the venom swept away, it left place to traces of begging. "I can't leave without it, I can't."   
Ah, shit. Why was he being so soft to this guy? Literally nothing was stopping him from knocking him out and fleeing, nothing besides his good heart. He truly, truly didn't want to hurt him. 

"Just- ugh, why can't you do as I say? Can't you see I could kidnap you and sell you for more than this whole castle is worth?" He forced him down on his knees, the dagger dangerously gracing his skin.

Keith closed his eyes. He wasn't ready to die, but it sure seemed like the thief was pushing him down to kill him.   
But there was something in the man's voice, something desperate. Something scared. 

He'd been here before, apparently. Why would this thief risk so much, just for money? Couldn't he get it somewhere else? He could just get a job, like a normal peasant, but no. He had to break in and steal from people. Maybe he liked the danger, the adventure. Keith couldn't really think of any other reason. There was no way people were poor enough to risk their lives for food. His father's kingdom was thriving. Sure, some people in Daibazaal had a hard time, but they could earn money if they just got a better job. 

And then that last statement. "They wouldn't give you anything for me," Keith spoke, almost with a tone of humour in his voice. If he got taken, he would be useless to his father. A Prince who was weak enough to get overpowered by a common thief was no son of his, and definitely not worth paying a ransom.   
Maybe his father's enemies would buy him, as leverage. Fools. Couldn't they see that would never work? 

"Those jewels are important to my father. If you take them he will.." He would punish Keith for it. The boy shivered. "He'll torture you to death as well," he sneered.

The thief scowled as a growl of impatience built on his throat. Princes were supposed to be simple and dull, why was this one so goddamn complicated?   
Clearly he didn't get his message, so he'd reduce his explanaition to a direct one. "I don't care," he dropped bluntly. If he cared the slightest about himself he wouldn't have come.   
"I can't let..." he trailed off as his voice cracked, taking a few seconds to force himself to go on. "I need this, I have to try even if it kills me."   
With that said he searched through the small bags with his free hand and began dropping the jewels - not all of them though, just the most notorious ones, with more value. Why? Besides starting to get pissed, something about the prince's tone told him he really shouldn't take that, for more reasons than he was letting see.   
Maybe because he'd have to take the blame? But how bad could that actually be? Why couldn't he see he needed that more than him?   
Freaking royals. Always thinking their problems were bigger. 

He let the carmine red stone fall in front of him with a thud. "Have your fucking jewels," he snapped. Selfish brat. Selfish, selfish, selfish. 

"Satisfied, your majesty?" Unfair. Unfair. Why had he to be the one showing him mercy? What had that prince done for his people? Nothing. Fucking nothing. Yet he was doing everything he asked. Why? Just take them and leave, fool.

Keith nodded softly. Yes, his father would notice that some things had disappeared, but at least it wouldn't be anything important. And if Keith got out of here in time, he wouldn't be able to blame him. 

Somewhere deep down inside, he felt sorry for the thief. He would most likely get caught and executed. But then again, it had been his own choice to come here, right? And he obviously knew the risks. Don't feel sorry for the person holding a knife to your throat, Keith. Don't be an idiot. 

But what could the man possibly need so much money for? And couldn't he get it some other way? It didn't matter. The thief would get out of here, or he wouldn't, and no one had to know that Keith had been involved in any way. 

At least he'd saved some of the stones. Was it kindness? Maybe the man just wanted to shut him up. But he could have done that by killing him, right? This made no sense. 

Keith sat perfectly still, though his knees were starting to hurt because of the hard stone he was kneeling on, and his throat stung where the knife had made just the tiniest cut. 

"You'll regret this," he breathed, unable to raise his voice any more. "And you won't get away with this." It wasn't necessarily a threat. More like a warning. And the truth.

The boy in clothing dark as night smirked with a death chuckle, closing to whisper in his ear once again. "The only thing I'll regret is wasting my time with you.   
Then again, fault is mine. Why would I ever think royalty cared for their people?" He snorted at how fucking dumb he was. "We could've done this the right way."   
Before he could reply, he retired his dagger, using his other hand to grab his hair and pushing him to the floor sideways, not hard enough to make real damage but hard enough to knock him out for a few minutes.

He really hoped the guards wouldn't see him like this, explaining the situation wouldn't be easy then-- ah, again thinking with the heart instead of mind.   
He saved his dagger, more gold coins to fill the empty spaces where the jewels had rested not much ago and closed the door of the treasure room after getting out, with the Prince in his arms. The next round of guards wouldn't come just yet, so he quickly made his way into his exaggeratedly luxurious room and layed him on the bed before running. 

Once outside the snow hid his steps and cold posed itself on his face. He breathed again. Eventually he ended up fleeing without a problem besides stealing from the prince, and the prince still lingering on his mind. 

Fucking prince.


	3. Pain And Tardiness 101

When Keith woke up a few minutes later, he had to take a moment to realise what had happened.   
And then he panicked. Someone had stolen from them, and he'd done nothing to stop it. His father would find out. He'd find some way to blame Keith. He would- Oh god, no. 

What to do? He couldn't go back there. That would only look suspicious.   
He felt a large bruise blossoming on the side of his face and a small cut on his neck, but nothing serious. Maybe his father would think he'd done that himself. But then again, his rather usually avoided his face, for obvious reasons.   
Maybe he should just go back to sleep. He deserved what was coming to him, he was the one that had let the thief go. Stupid Keith. 

He fell back into an uneasy sleep, not bothering to get under the blankets. How had he gotten here anyway? Apparently, the thief had brought him here. It made sense. He needed to cover his tracks. A Prince passed out in the treasury would bring unwanted attention, but a Prince passed out on his bed was completely normal. 

And so he slept, and slept, strange dreams of drowning in mountains of gold haunting him, and there was that thief again. What was he doing?

The sun was merely more than a white light on the foggy sky, not warming at all the freezing cold from underneath. Lance wiped his numb fingers over his eyes, brushing away the flakes clinging to his lashes as he remembered how his early morning had gone.   
He'd headed to Altea, that one village inside the forest people thought was filled with witches to go to that certain market.

"Lonce... I know this is stolen. I can't accept it," his childhood friend had said carefully, making his impatience and desperation grow.  
"Allura, please, just- I can't- there's no other way for her... Please just take it." 

And after a hard dealing she'd accepted, giving him that one three fuchsia petaled rare flower, so rare that it could only be bought by a king, which healing properties gave it the name of 'tempus miracle', only healing it's consumer for a limited period of time. Having made medicine out of it once he was back at his humble house, he'd greeted the woman on the bed kindly. "Hey, mom. I brought you something." As usual he'd gained no reply from the somewhat paralyzed woman, whose mind seemed to be somewhere far away from there, locked. With extreme care he'd fed her the liquid before going to work, now he just had to wait. 

Back to the present, bushes rustled across the clearing. Drawing his bow was a matter of instinct. He peered through the thorns, and his breath caught. That would be a nice catch, and after that he could return to the castle.  
Little did he remember the guard presentation of today, which he'd be late to.

As the soft winter sun barely lit his room up, Keith opened his eyes, a searing headache making the room spin in front of him. Last night's events seemed blurry, unfocused. But they didn't matter now, aside from the shame he felt at the memory.   
He got up, walked to his rather large bathroom, and looked in the mirror. He looked absolutely terrible. 

The bruise had blackened, and spread over half of his left eye. He could hide the small red cut in under his clothes, but the large mark needed some more work.   
His skills in hiding bruises had grown over the years, in the rare cases when his father accidentally left a mark somewhere visible, or when he needed to wear a short sleeved shirt.   
He took a quick bath, wrapped a robe around himself and got that special creme out of a cabinet. It could usually cover most of the damage, but some of the darkness was too stubborn to go away. Well, it didn't matter. He probably wouldn't see his father today anyway.   
What was his schedule for today? First, that guard thing. His father insisted on it, said that showing your face to your protectors was a good way to motivate and inspire them. Keith couldn't disagree.   
After that.. Oh shit. Those royal assholes would visit. They wouldn't come before noon, but Keith was still not looking forward to that. Great. He quickly picked out an outfit, something regal to show the other Prince and Queen he was 'honoured' by their visit. Maybe if they would stop subtly -and not so subtly- insulting him in front of his father, he might actually like them.   
The dark red of his vest was interrupted by beautifully stitched, golden patterns, and a thick, dark belt held it tight. Too tight, maybe. 

He was just about to head to breakfast when a small, nervous looking servant girl came to tell him that his father had summoned him. Oh shit. Did he know anything? It didn't matter, Keith couldn't disobey.   
He quickly made his way over to his father's office, where the King was waiting for him, and knocked on the door. 

"Come in."

After the deep, severe voice gave him a command, Keith entered the room.   
The king could notice his usual uneasiness, but that was good. The only person his son was allowed to fear - and yet not completely - was him, king Zarkon, emperor of the strongest military power country. 

He had slight cinnamon skin, thick eyebrows resembling those of his son - perhaps the only thing they were alike in -, short brown hair and scar extending from under his left eye down across his mouth. His somewhat prominent cheekbones gave him a living skull look, and the shadows in his hazel eyes only helped that more. 

After the boy in front of him bowed down and greeted him with respect, he took a few seconds to analize him up and down. "Yorak." Direct, firm, demanding. "What happened last night? If you lie, I will know." 

Keith forced his eyes to meet his father's, though he would much rather be looking at the carpet. 

The king knew.   
Maybe not everything, but he definitely knew Keith was involved somehow. His heart was threatening to rip his chest open with the rate at which it was beating.   
But what did his father know? He should just tell the truth, be done with it. His father could always tell if he was lying, and it never ended well. "I.. I noticed someone breaking into our treasury. He caught me off guard, and knocked me out. Then he disappeared."   
He looked down, terrified of the reaction that would follow. He purposely left out the part where they had talked, a knife against Keith's throat. It was better to make it sound like he'd been knocked out immediately, and that he hadn't had a chance to defend himself.

The calm confidence that nothing was out of his reach or sight gave him a slight boost of pride. Rumours had reached his ears before about a thief who came and stealed minor things without importance, but this, the treasury, was way different, so when Sendak had informed about missing riches and hints of hiding and struggling, he'd instantly suspected from the only person that was able to enter besides himself and men of trust, who he knew wouldn't let the thief go.   
"You imbecile child." His deep voice foreshadowed what was about to come as he stood up and walked to him at an awfully slow pacing, his strong steps echoing in the room.   
"'He caught you off guard'. Do you think that's even near to an excuse? After all your training, all my efforts on making you more than a whimp, you let yourself be outstanded by a lowlife thief?" 

He grabbed the collar of his vest and lifted him off the ground to talk to him face to face, his expression between disappointed and furious.   
"You let someone steal from me. What will everyone think? That we're easy? The weakest? Why would I have to answer from an idiot's foolish actions?!"   
He threw him to the floor with perhaps too much force, unable to contain his disdain for that kid.

Keith's back hit the floor with a hard thud, and all the air was knocked from his lungs. But he got up anyway, as quick as possible.   
Staying down meant accepting your defeat here in Daibazaal, and his father never accepted defeat. His son should always fight. Victory or death. 

"He hid from me," Keith pleaded. "By the time I saw something was wrong, he had a knife on my throat." Keith was panicking slightly now. He knew he had made a big mistake, unforgivable, maybe. His father had done much worse things to him for less.   
"I tried to keep him there, to call for help. But there was no one there. He was stronger than me, taller." Excuses. His father would never accept them. "I really tried, father."   
He fought desperately to keep the fearful tone out of his voice. Don't show fear. Don't be weak. 

He stood up straight, waiting for the next attack. Maybe he should just shut up, take whatever he got. But every part of him wanted to defend himself, to convince his father of his innocence.

The king sneered. "You clearly didn't try hard enough, weren't smart hard enough. Like this you expect to take my place?" 

Without warning he smashed a strong, full of anger fist against his stomach. "Caught you off guard? Did it?!" Another punch was thrown, this time his arm received the impact. 

"You dishonor me, pathetic excuse of a son. Weakness is an infection best cut off than to be allowed to spread, and you're the weakest of all. If you weren't the only blood of mine I would've killed you already." 

He tugged on his hair, pushing him back a few steps. "Fight!" He demanded, giving him the chance to try and defend himself. "Show me you deserve to be alive."

Keith buckled over and held his open hands out in front of him, trying to stop it. Fight. It was useless. His father was stronger than him in every way. But he had to try. He straightened himself up as much as he could, his eyes watering in pain and his legs trembling beneath him. He blocked the next punch as best he could, but the force hit his arms away and he stumbled a few paces back. 

He knew his father was speaking the truth, he would kill him if he wasn't the Prince. The king didn't want to remarry. His only love had been killed by his son, and he couldn't get any more heirs without a wife.   
"Father, I can't fight you," he croaked, his breath short as he tried to block another punch. "Please, father. Don't."

A small, hidden side of the king reacted at those words, instead of the grown boy seeing a small child, pleading him to stop. That was the first time he'd punished him, and Keith had eventually stopped asking for mercy.   
Not today, not ever. That part of him would forever be locked and unreachable. Keith needed to learn, one way or another. 

He was about to kick him again when a knock on the door stopped his movements. 

"Your majesty? I'm here to discuss our current state with the neighbor country," a voice said from the other side of the door, making him hesitate. 

After seconds of giving his son a death glare he grabbed his throat with force. "You're not worth a coin of what was stolen. This isn't over." With that he pushed him back, turned around and headed to sit once again.   
He'd kill him. He'd kill this worthless dead weight if it wasn't useful. Perhaps if he found a man good enough to marry him his kingdom would be saved, but he still needed to think about that.

Keith took a short moment to collect himself, find his voice again, and then bowed. "Yes, father."   
The fear and the pain threatened to overwhelm him, so he quickly made his way out of his father's office. He passed one of his father's closest advisers, none of which he had ever liked. But his timing had been great. Keith knew his father would have done a lot more had that man not interfered. Now, Keith would receive his punishment later. At least a day more safety. 

Now it was time to greet the guards, which   
were probably already waiting for him. He couldn't be late. He couldn't disappoint his father again. And so he brushed a hand through his hair, which had become messy from the earlier events, and hurried to the guards station at the gate of the castle, where they would be waiting for him. 

Just get this over with, and then the stupid royal visit, and then.. his father. Keith tried to take a deep, calming breath, but failed miserably. He was anxious, a little freaked out. He walked to his commander of guards, who was ordering the soldiers in line. They seemed to be doing alright.

They weren't doing alright. Most of his best men were there, all in line, firm and ready, but where was his hunter? 

The commander sighed and turned to Keith as he approached him. "Good morning, your highness," he said respectfully with a small bow, then continued in a lower tone so only he could hear him.   
"Keith, I'm sorry about what happened... I should've been there, I should've placed more guards..." The guilt in his expression was inevitable. Keith could've died because of the thief, and if not, he was pretty sure his father would kill him instead.   
The anxiety and how agitated he looked gave away that something had happened.

Keith gave him a rare smile. Shiro was one of the only people he trusted, that genuinely cared about him. He could always see if something was wrong.   
"It's not your fault. You didn't know he would go for the treasure. You couldn't have known. If only I hadn't been so stupid as to let myself get caught."   
He sighed deeply, and then motioned his head to the gathered soldiers. "Are they ready?" 

He cringed slightly when his chest contorted in pain, but quickly hid it with a cough, which didn't exactly make things better. But this wasn't the time to complain about pain. He should never complain, especially because it was his own fault. He deserved every bit of this.   
His father was right. He should be better, smarter, stronger. And yet he wasn't.   
Shiro looked a bit worried. He shouldn't be. Keith had known what would come if he let the thief escape, and he still did it. Everything that followed was his own fault. 

But back to the guards, that were waiting nervously for him. He knew his royal status spread fear among the normal people, but he wasn't like his father. He wouldn't judge them quite so harshly.

The commander wanted to say something else, try to comfort him in any way, but he knew well that no matter what he said Keith would still think the same. This wasn't the best time to talk about it anyway.   
"Well..." he sighed, glancing at his gathered men. "Our royal hunter is missing, but we cou-"

"Commander! Guess what, Blue and I caught a hart!" The announcement made Shiro turn to the side door, where a tanned young man with short chocolate curly hair and eyes bright blue like the ocean, around Keith's age, entered the room with stains of blood on his suit and hands. After he looked around the room with gathered knights and the prince, his smile fell.   
Shiro wanted to facepalm himself at that moment, his actions not being at all professional.   
"...Sorry, I was skinning the hart, I forgot-"

"Just get in line," Shiro begged him.

"Yes sir, sorry sir," he murmured before quickly placing himself at the end of the formation, adopting a firm stance afterwards.   
Ah shit, he'd totally forgot the guard presentation, which was totally in bad timing due to the thief coming to steal the treasure last night. 

He didn't make eye contact with the prince as he started to panic. He'd never had him this close before, besides last night, but there was no way he'd suspect him, right...? He'd barely caught his sight, and due to the darkness of the room his eyes probably didn't look the same. Just calm down, and look to the floor.

Keith almost wanted to laugh. He knew exactly what his father would have done if one of the guards interrupted a presentation by arriving late. The boy would have been fired, and he would have been lucky if that was all. Disrespect. 

But he was not his father. Besides, the boy was.. cute. There was something about him, something familiar.. Maybe he'd seen him around before.   
Of course he had, he was part of the Royal guard.   
Keith gave Shiro a short nod before slowly walking along the line of soldiers. There were about thirty of them, standing neatly in a row. Keith gave all of them a soft nod, not showing any emotion but superiority. He held his head high and his back straight, as any good Prince should.   
Some of the guards were vaguely familiar. He didn't know any of them by name besides Shiro, but he'd seen them around. They rarely ventured into the depths of the Castle, though. That was a private area for all but a select few. 

He stopped at the end of the line, in front of the hunter boy. The feeling of strange familiarity returned, stronger now he was standing so close. Why? It all seemed to be focused around those dazzling blue eyes. Where had he seen them before? Somewhere at night. In the dark. Somewhere dangerous. No.  
It couldn't be.. No, that made no sense. His eyes narrowed a little bit. 

Why would a Palace guard, a hunter, steal from his employers? He had a job. The pay was reasonable. Of course it was, his father always said that money was a strong factor in loyalty. And you needed loyal guards. Why would a guard sneak into the castle and steal gold? No, Keith. There are more people with blue eyes. This is ridiculous. Don't be ridiculous. 

He was taking too long, so he quickly turned around and walked back to Shiro, not looking at any of them on his way back.

"They seem to be doing good. Although -" He threw a glance at the tall boy at the end of the line. "You might need to keep a closer eye on some of them. We don't accept tardiness." He forced his tone to sound rather serious, but he didn't care that much about the hunter being late. It could happen to anyone.

The time the prince spent looking at Lance felt like hours, hours where he'd done his best to mantain a straight face to not give anything away.   
He finally breathed when he walked away, but tensed at his last words. "Don't worry, your highness," he heard his commander say with slight traces of anger. "I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."   
Ugh, great. He'd probably tell him to hunt all day as a punishment, despite having hunted one of the most venerated meals in the kingdom.   
His job was never recognized. He'd have to stand still next to the royal cook as the royalty ate without them giving him the smallest gratitude, as if he hadn't chased that animal all over the forest.   
Of course royalty would never see that. Unfair. At least he wouldn't get a real punishment, and the prince seemed to not notice it had been him last night. 

With an order, the guards started heading to their respective stations, but he was ordered to stay there. He saw the commander placing a hand on the prince's shoulder and wondered why the hell were they so close. 

"If anything happens, tell me," he said with concern. Shiro knew there was little to nothing he could do about the poor treatment of the king, but one thing he could do was be there for him.

Keith looked down at the floor. Shiro's touch and words had been the only things keeping him from crumbling completely for years now. It was the only comfort he had, even though he didn't deserve it.   
He should suffer. Suffer for what he did. His eyes found Shiro's, and he failed completely in hiding the fear flooding out of them.   
He was shaking. Don't be an idiot, Keith. Stop this. You're weak enough without showing it to everyone. Don't cry in public, don't cry at all. 

"I'm fine," he whispered. He was not fine. "I'll be fine. I should.. I should get back inside. I need to greet Prince Stupid soon."   
He closed his eyes for a moment and pressed a hand to his bruised chest. It hurt so badly. The skin on his arm was burning, he could feel the bruise blossoming under his sleeve from where his father had struck.   
But he quickly straightened up again, desperate not to show any weakness. Not out here. Nowhere.

The scene broke the commander's heart, knowing by the way his body contorned he'd been hurt and where, but he also knew what hurt the most was the weight and pressure his father placed on him. 

He looked around, seeing only the hunter was there before pulling Keith into a warm embrace, making sure not to touch his bare skin. He knew Keith didn't like that.   
"Everything will be alright, everything will get better. Hold on just a bit," he reassured the shaking body in his arms, taking extra seconds to support him.   
Meanwhile, the tanned boy watched the scene with wide eyes, the prince's physical pain not passing unnoticed. He looked like he'd been beated up but was trying to stand still nonetheless. But what got him the most was how pained he looked, it made his heart ache.   
Was that because of him...? Because he robbed his father's riches? But what he'd taken was barely anything compared to what they had, would he go that far just for three gold coins...?   
It didn't matter. The immense feeling of guilt was flowing from his inside and threatening to drown him completely. 

What could he do? He couldn't fix it. He couldn't return what he'd already sold, and he couldn't return the cure his mother had drank. His mother... What was the right thing to do? To let her die? He couldn't, and yet he felt incredibly sorry.   
Shiro let go of the prince and wished him good luck before walking to him. He gestured him to follow him and so Lance did, after looking at his majesty with regret one more time.

Keith watched his only friend leave with a pained expression on his face. Why did Shiro care so much about him? He didn't.. He didn't deserve it.   
Shit. He would have to go back inside soon, get ready to welcome his 'guests'. Great, another opportunity for his father to compare him to the wonderful, amazing, strong Prince Lotor.   
Everytime the king saw that white haired ass, a period of increased resentment would follow, as if he'd been reminded how awful his own son was. But he forced himself inside anyway, to oversee the final preparations.   
Why did they have to prepare? It was awful. About half an hour later his father came in, which signalled the near arrival of the other royal family.


	4. Honour, Morals, And That Kind Of Bullshit

Horns and trumpets played as the west royal family stepped out of the carrousel. A low 'Don't mess this up' was heard from the king and dedicated to his son, who stood by his side while queen Honerva and prince Lotor approached them.   
Between the guards guiding their path was a long blond haired servant. 

"It is a great honor to see you once again, good friend." The woman spoke to the king kindly, greeting him with a kiss on each cheek. More than allies, they were as close and identical as two water drops, both ruthless and ambitious, realistic and logical, cold blooded. 

Her son, who shared her same tanned skin and long, silky albino hair - now held together in a ponytail - grinned at his so called neighbor, childhood partner and mostly training adversary. He couldn't recall a time they'd gotten along, and if there was, it was long gone after years of him stepping over Keith, being better, greater, stronger, physically and mentally. 

"It's a real pleasure, prince Yorak." He announced ironically, sticking out his hand to him.

Keith bit his tongue, trying to keep the despise from showing on his face. The pleasure was visible on Lotor's face. That boy had always enjoyed the fact that Keith's father preferred hím over his own son, and he liked to rub it in. 

Yorak. Lotor knew how he disliked that name. 

But the utmost diplomacy was needed now, so Keith took his hand and shook it, trying to ignore the pain of the other's strong grip.   
"The pleasure is mutual, Prince Lotor," he lied. The pleasure wasn't mutual at all. If he could, he would have chased Lotor out of his goddamn castle. That was an amusing thought, at least. 

He quickly let go and bowed to the Queen. "Queen Honerva, it's a true pleasure to see you again too."   
He still clearly remembered the occasion on which she had smacked him across the face for hitting Lotor in a play fight. They had been five at the time. And all his father had done was look at him disapprovingly, as though it had been his fault, while tiny Lotor hit him with his own wooden sword. Keith hadn't been allowed to hit back anymore. 

Lotor must have really enjoyed beating Keith, because next time they met he'd been training a lot more, and could easily defeat Keith in their fights. Asshole. 

He turned back to Lotor, still that incredibly fake polite look on his face. "I hope your journey went well, Prince Lotor," he spoke.

Not with the thought of coming to see you, the other prince thought with disdain that was only visible in the glimmer of his icey blue eyes. 

"Indeed, it was quite pleasing with the mesmerizing views of this kingdom, which I never get tired of, may I say," he praised, knowing the king was listening. He turned to him and bowed with respect. "It's been a while, your majesty. Thank you for having us."   
He looked over his shoulder and snapped his fingers at the blonde girl. "Servant, the gift." Did he have to do it all by himself?

"Ah, of course, my Prince," the nervous girl said before walking and kneeling in front of the king, offering a big, bright, orange sphalerite. "The newest stone found in our kingdom, your excellency." A fine piece for the treasure perhaps.

God, Keith wanted to throw up at that sickeningly sweet tone of Lotor's voice. He knew it was bullshit. Sure, Daibazaal had some beautiful places, but not 'mesmerising'. Stupid ass, he just wanted to impress King Zarkon. 

The gem was pretty, but a bit obnoxious for Keith's taste. It reminded him of the ruby necklace that had been left by the thief.   
And again, Keith wondered why the boy had left it. Such a necklace was incredibly valuable. With the right buyer, you could buy a reasonable house with that money. And the boy had looked like he needed it, had sounded like he needed it. That desperation... It haunted Keith's mind. 

He pulled his eyes away from the stone, and back the floor. He was afraid to look at his father or the queen, and he didn't want to look at Lotor. Everyone here hated him. And for good reason. He was weak. He should never have been royalty.

After a deep analizing of the jewel the king nodded in approval. "It's like none I've seen before, it will make a fine piece in our collection. My deepest gratitude, Queen Honerva. Please come in, we have a lot to discuss." With the approval of the queen they entered the castle, them leaving the princes completely alone, along with Lotor's humble servant.

"So, Yorak, " he started with a foreshadowing smirk. "I heard you were stolen from, right in your face, or rather back I shall say," he announced the rumor already spreading through the kingdom. "You fucked up bad, but that's nothing new."

Keith immediately noticed the shift in attitude now that his father had left. "It's none of your business," he snapped back.  
"But for your information, he surprised me. I could have beaten him easily had he not snuck up on me." He crossed his arms defiantly over his aching chest. 

Lotor would laugh at him if he knew about his father's punishments. He would find out anyway, if he didn't already know, but Keith didn't want him to know. It would only confirm his belief that Keith was beneath him. 

"And don't call me that. It's Keith, or Prince Keith to you." He lifted his head a little to show his dominance, not sure how long it would last. Lotor had a certain way to get into his head, mess with him. Stupid ass. At least he wouldn't stay here for more than a few days, and Keith would only have to dine with him. After that, Keith could resume his normal life, even though that wasn't much to look forward to. He might be able to go riding. That was always fun.

Lotor let out a brief snort at the amusing situation. "To me? To me you're nothing but a fool, a weak link threatening to let what his father gained go to waste. You're nowhere near a prince." He chuckled.  
"Luckily for this kingdom there's still hope as long as I'm here." 

He gestured the thin girl to take his stuff to his room. "I'll call you however you want the day you become heir. Until then... See you at the dining room, Yorak."   
With an air of superiority, he turned around and walked away, being followed by the frightened girl. 

He lowkey wished Keith had been killed by the thief, that'd make things so much easier for him. Little details aside, he'd make his way to the throne one way or another, no matter who he'd have to step on.

Keith had to hold himself back, the burning anger urging him to jump at Lotor. But he could never beat this boy, even if it was a surprise attack, and he didn't want to deal with the shame of defeat again. Lotor and he would probably train together this week anyway. 

Why was that Prince so sure he would 'save' this kingdom from Keith's failures? There was nothing he could do, aside from being his father's favourite. He had no say here. No matter how dominant he was, Keith still had more status here.   
Besides, his kingdom was bigger than Lotor's. It wasn't like Lotor would become king here. Would he? There was no way he could be. Technically, if Keith died, his father could pick his heir. But he was pretty sure his father wouldn't kill him yet. He sighed and hurried back to his room, hoping to avoid Lotor and his stupid mother, at least until dinner.

Meanwhile, after being told off by the commander for being late, the brunette watched his friend - who was also the royal cook - work with the hart he'd brought him, but even though his eyes were on the steam of the oven his mind couldn't let go of the sight of the prince, how sad he looked, how hurt he appeared to be. He'd make it up to him, somehow, or at least he'd try.

Hunk looked at his friend with worry. He knew the commander had scolded him for something, but he looked kind of sad. "Hey Lance, is there something wrong?" he asked casually.

Lance was startled by the voice, being lost in his thoughts just a few seconds ago. "Hm? Oh, nothing..." he murmured, leaning his hands on the counter opposite to his friend. The only one that knew about his night chores besides Allura and his sister Rachel was him, but he didn't want to tell him the full story. It was dangerous to talk about that within the palace walls. Even so, the need to ask for advice made him speak after a long moment of silence. "Say... What if.. by doing something good for someone you had to do something bad, and that happens to be worse than you thought it would be and injures someone else, but you still did what you did for a good cause... What would be considered right or wrong then? And could you fix it if the damage is already done?" He asked as if trying to make it sound hypothetical, but he knew Hunk could tie up the loose ends.

Hunk put down the knife and raised an eyebrow at Lance. He knew most of what he was talking about. He knew Allura had tried to stop Lance from stealing, but the boy loved his mother too much. It was way too dangerous, to steal from the crown. Hunk was terrified he would get caught. He didn't want to see his best friend killed.   
He had also heard of the mysterious thief who had attacked the Prince. Rumours travelled fast around here, and everyone liked talking to the cook. 

But why did Lance suddenly care about the Prince? He had always made it clear that he despised royalty, and for good reason. Lance wouldn't harm anyone more than he had to, right? 

"I suppose that, as long as your intentions were good, you are still morally in the right. But you should try to fix it, if you can. Just don't get yourself killed, Lance." His last words came out as a plea. He really didn't want to lose his friend, even if it meant someone else had to suffer a little. Was that selfish? Maybe.

Try to fix Iit. He doubted he could; in his civilian form he would never be able to approach the prince without making things awkwardly suspicious, unless... Maybe he could arrange things with Shiro, a hunting party with the prince, perhaps riding through the forest... No, that wouldn't be of use. He couldn't do anything as Lance. 

He could do less as the blue spark though, what would the prince do if he saw him as a thief again? Ah, shit. Screw it. He was better off away from him. Plus he'd always disliked him, him and his stupid mullet. It should stay that way. 

He'd see him from afar while eating with the royal neighbors then get out of his life. 

"Thanks buddy... And don't worry, you know I never get caught." He said with a wink and extreme confidence despite knowing deep down he could always get caught.

Hunk looked wasn't satisfied, but he knew it wouldn't be of any use to press the subject. He continued preparing the hart for tonight's dinner and chatted with Lance again, about simple things like the weather and more complicated stuff like his sick mother and the reason behind the royal visit.

Keith cleaned his face and reapplied the layer of concealer. It looked quite natural. Good. 

The rest of the afternoon he spent drawing, trying to distract himself from the oncoming horror of dining with his father and Loturd. 

He liked drawing, but it wasn't a hobby his father encouraged. It made him look weak, apparently. The arts weren't an appropriate way to spend time for a Prince. 

He sketched all that he could remember of the thief, though he didn't get past those blazing, blue eyes. A sharp face. Maybe he was just making this up. Most of his face had been hidden anyway.   
Keith drew those eyes over and over, a until he'd filled multiple pages with them. He was just fooling himself. He couldn't have such an accurate image of them, only having seen them once. 

Or hadn't he? Had he seen those eyes again today, this time not hidden behind a mask? He might never know. 

He got up, brushed his hair and tied it back in a messy bun. His father never liked how wild his hair was, but there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't his fault that Lotor had that long, flowing hair, that always looked incredibly perfect. Asshole. 

He took a deep breath and made his way to the dining hall, where the guards let him in. He was late. He had postponed coming here as long as possible.

As expected, the king glared at his son as soon as he entered the room, tired of his constant messing up. "You're late, Yorak. You dishonor me in front of our neighbor family. Sit," was all he dared to dedicate him, strong and demanding. 

He was sitting at the exaggeratedly long royal table along the queen and her son, who couldn't hold back a chuckle when Zarkon told him off. The waiters were, well, waiting, for him to sit down so they could serve the meal, the cook and hunter standing in the room as well with their arms behind their backs and a straight stance. 

Lance stared at him for a moment. Now that his hair was tied he could take a better look to his face, but he couldn't see the bruise from last night anywhere. He'd hit his head with the floor, it should be visible. The thought of him being good at covering bruises made him uneasy.

Keith bowed to his father and then sat down next to his father, opposite the Queen and her son. He felt Lotor's obnoxious gaze on him, and he averted his eyes to stare into the distance.   
There was that hunter again, next to the cook. The boy was looking back at him, looking a bit confused or something. His eyes matched the ones Keith had been scribbling perfectly, but it was just a coincidence. No way that foolish latecomer was stupid enough to break in. 

He quickly averted his eyes, not wanting to seem weird. There was no one, nothing he could look at. He didn't dare meet his father's eyes, nor the queen's. They could compete in their hate for him. Lotor probably had that stupid smug look on his face that he wore every time Keith made a mistake in front of his father. Great.   
He looked straight at his food, which was being set in front of him, and started to eat, desperate to avoid any conversation.   
Just get this over with. Just let them taunt you. Because they would, Keith knew. Maybe it would take half an hour, but they would eventually go back to making fun of him. They always did. 

Minutes passed where Lance watched the royal families talking about royal topics and enjoying their meal, or so he thought, because they weren't giving any signs of disapproval - nor approval -. 

Classic royalty, ungrateful and blinded by what they possessed, so blind they couldn't see how difficult catching that animal had been or the efforts of his friend to make it taste good enough for their gold palate. 

Being there without no verbal praising wasn't recognition at all, if anything they were there in case it tasted bad they could be instantly blamed or even punished.   
Hunk and him had already eaten, but damn if that hart, salad and salmon looked tasty. That must be the king's daily meal though.

He hated royalty. He could go on and on about how much he did, how oppressed and overworked his people was due to the king's tyranny. A big part of that kingdom was wealthy, yes, but the unbalanced economy had others starving to death, kids on the street or, in his case, food on the table but not enough to afford a good doctor or freaking medicine. Was it seriously so hard to spare a few gold coins for his people? 

And yet there he was, about to feel bad and even sorry for king Zarkon's firstborn, right when queen Honerva started directing the subject to her son. 

"And then he managed to organize a full battalion with the best of the kingdom's men, taking down a full fleet from the Olkari, all of that under his own command. I couldn't be more proud, " she shared with the king, the albino prince trying to contain a show-off smile.

"I only did what had to be done for my kingdom, anyone else could've done it. Or, well, almost anyone," he mocked the prince in front of him with a cocky glare, just like his attitude.

Keith seethed with rage, but he kept it in. He'd become rather good at that. Years of repressing his reactions, his emotions had given him the ability to put on an almost polite smile, and he looked back at Lotor, the disgust not quite hidden in his eyes. 

He looked down again and took another bite. When he looked up again, he saw his father look at him with pursed lips, and then the king motioned to one of the servants. 

"He's had enough," his father said. The servant nodded shortly and took away Keith's plate. Of course. He hadn't been done punishing Keith. But this wasn't the first time he'd been denied food, and it wouldn't be the last. He might be able to go down to the kitchens later, or he would just go to bed hungry. It didn't matter. He was always aching somewhere. 

He took a sip of his wine and looked at his father, who was already back in conversation with Queen Honerva. 

Lotor's chewing suddenly seemed louder. Maybe it was. Keith had barely eaten anything, and Lotor would rub it in as much as he could. Fucking asshole. Luckily, he would be gone within the week, back to his own kingdom. And then Keith would only have his father to deal with.

The palace hunter couldn't believe his eyes as the servant walked away with the barely touched plate of exquisite food. 

What just happened? Why...? Not being too worried about the - goddamn rich in calories - wasted meal but more concerned about the prince himself, he glanced at Hunk, who was a few feet away from him. He looked quite disturbed, but unsurprised. So did the guards and servants, so he returned his gaze to the families again. Was this normal? Daily? But why? 

Was... Was this because of what had happened last night? Because of him? God no... No no no no. 

The familiar emotion of culpability threatened to swallow him completely when he didn't move, didn't do something. But what could he do?   
He tended to forget his place in society, just above the servants but lower than the rest of the people. He couldn't do anything. 

He quietly watched how the scene played out, joke after joke, teasing after teasing, all of that pointing straight at the young prince, whose grayish eyes appeared to be like glass from the distance and his pale skin full of porcelain, a weird porcelain. One that looked like was about to break but resisted. 

He... He'd never seen this side of his rulers. All of them seemed much worse than he'd imagined, except prince Yorak, who suddenly seemed small, very, small.


	5. ...PAAAAIIIINNNNN

Keith wished he could leave, to go back to his room and away from these monsters. He wasn't eating anyway. But he was forced to sit there, live through it. 

Every insult stung, especially because they were right. He was weak, he was pathetic. He should be better, as Prince of Daibazaal. Maybe Lotor was even right. He shivered at the thought. Lotor would probably be a better ruler than him.   
Maybe Keith could run away, die, or just injure himself so much that he couldn't rule anymore. Maybe.. 

He was used to his father's harsh words. Honerva had a sharp tongue, but couldn't really get under his skin. But Lotor.. He truly knew how to pick at Keith's insecurities in such a way that it felt like he was skinning him alive. And there was nothing he could do about it.   
He couldn't fight, couldn't speak up, couldn't even look at him angrily. He just kept that vague, polite look on his face to hide his anger and sadness. 

Every time his name fell, he cringed. Yorak. They knew how he felt about that. It was the name his mother had picked out for him. Everytime they said it, it was only to remind him of what he'd done to her. How could anyone care for a boy that murdered his own mother?

After what seemed like an eternity of endless comparitions and dragging the prince's name through the mud, the royals finished eating and had the maids taking the dishes to the kitchen. Hunk bowed down and Lance did the same before following him outside. 

Damn, that... sure had been something. He wouldn't be able to take his mind off the subject after seeing all that, and he knew that wasn't the full story. 

It was decided; he'd apologize. One way or another.

The king offered queen Honerva a walk through the garden, while Lotor was left alone to wander around the castle making employees work extra hard. Not before patting his own belly though, looking at Keith and licking his lips as final teasing, giving away what wonderful meal he'd lost for his own incompetence.

Keith stormed away to his room, and yelled into his pillow for a while, though he couldn't let go of that feeling. He was so angry. Sure, he deserved to be treated as less, but the way they did it.. It was sadistic. 

Especially that Lotor. He knew that boy would visit him as often as possible these next few days, tease him till his hearts content. Keith could do nothing about it. He couldn't complain, people would just say Lotor was right, and that he was a guest. He couldn't challenge Lotor, because he would lose any battle between them. 

Maybe he could just run away, disappear until Lotor left. That gave him an idea. Just to blow off some steam, he could take a ride. Yeah, just run with Shiro. Shiro understood, at least. 

He nearly ran to the stables, hoping to avoid anyone he didn't like, which was almost everyone.   
But he got there safely, and opened the door into the stables. The warm scent of horse droppings and food hit him in the face, as it always did. 

Keith loved horses. They gave him something that resembled freedom. He walked in a little further, and found his own favourite. A beautiful black mare with the name of Kosmo.   
His father had said it was a man's name, but Keith didn't care. His Kosmo was the best, the fastest, the wildest. And he loved her. 

Just as he'd thought earlier that day, Lance had been sent to hunt in the afternoon as well. He'd been begging his commander for mercy since, and he was still doing it now that the man with an iron arm was walking to get his horse Black from the stables, to lead this afternoon's daily patrol around the kingdom. 

"Sir, please, I promise I'll never be late again!" he said while trying to follow him.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, Lance," he sighed, reaching his favourite stallion and greeting him kindly. "..I don't know where you go instead of work nor why you're so distracted, but duties with the king come first, you should know that by now."

"I know, I know! That's what I'm trying to tell you! I'd-" The brunette trailed off when his eyes caught another pair in that place, and he froze.   
Why was the prince there? Coincidence? Destiny? A horse? Ah, he'd look like such a stalker right now.

"Hey Keith," Shiro said with a weird confidence that had Lance again wondering what their relation was. "Going for a ride?" he asked, before grabbing the leather saddle.

Keith threw one look at the hunter, and then nodded. "Yes, I am. I was going to ask whether you'd accompany me, but I see you're busy. No matter, I'll go by myself." 

He knew he could let the stable boys saddle his horse, but he liked doing it himself. He opened the stable and led Kosmo out, before tying her to a hook on the wall, and grabbing her saddle.   
He couldn't help but look at the smaller boy, the brunette with the gorgeous eyes and tan skin. Stop it, he's gonna think you're weird. 

Unless he didn't, of course. Maybe he knew why Keith was so interested in him. Maybe he knew why he was suspicious. But Keith couldn't confront anyone without hard proof.   
Would he even want to know? If his father knew, the boy would be executed. It were just a couple of coins. Keith didn't want anyone to die for that.

Shiro thought for a moment while his beautiful, strong black and white spotted destrier looked at him, eager for stretching his legs. He glanced at the hunter, who seemed rather tense, and then back at his close friend. 

"I have to lead a patrol, but Lance could go with you." Lance widened his eyes as soon as he heard his name. A horse? He suddenly started to think this wasn't a good idea after all. What if he got caught?   
You fool, you're loverboy sharpshooter Lance, you never get caught, in any sense of the word. 

"He had to go hunting anyway, isn't that right?" Shiro said with a light pat on his back before walking near Black's loin and placing the saddle.

Keith was glad stood behind his tall horse, or Shiro would have seen the shift swift in his expression. He was suddenly tense.   
Was this a good thing? He might be able to find out if really had been him, if he was careful. 

But he didn't really want to find out. He hoped this 'Lance' wasn't the thief. He was a pretty boy, and Keith didn't want to see him executed. That would definitely be painful to watch, especially if it had been Keith's fault he got caught. 

No matter. There was no good reason to say no, he had to accept. "Alright. That will do."   
He looked at Lance. "What are you waiting for? Pick a horse. Any horse." 

As a royal hunter Lance probably had his own horse, but these were way nicer. Most of the horses here belonged to Keith's father, or Keith himself. A few were owned by high ranking officials, and Shiro's stood here as well. The less important figures had their horses in the normal stables, a short walk away, against the castle walls.

The tanned hunter blinked several times, not at all expecting the prince would allow him to accompany him so easily, and he was still processing the thing he'd said. 

A horse? Pick a horse from the royal stable? Him? He doubted he was worthy-- no, he knew he wasn't, and none of the horses there would like him.   
Despite everything, he heard himself say: "Thank you for such humble offer, your highness." 

With a slight bow, feeling pressured to look through the horses in that place. A particular albino mare caught his eye, and he headed to open the stable slowly. 

The white mare seemed uneasy at first and neighed at his abrupt presence, swinging her tail from side to side. "Shh, hey pretty girl, it's alright. I'm Lance," he said softly, letting her get his scent as he caressed her shoulder with a respectable distance. Once she digned to calm down she let him caress her snout, and with a small smile the hunter proceeded to tie her and secure a saddle on her. 

Shiro, who was already leaving next to his partner, glanced at them one more time to see if they would do alright. Yeah, it looked like it. "Well, good luck out there, both of you," he said kindly, and headed off.

Keith have him a soft smile and watched him leave, then got onto his own horse. 

Kosmo was one of the taller horses in the stable. Lotor had teased him about 'making up for his own height'. But he just loved this horse so much. She was gorgeous, and temperamental, and strong. 

He waited until Lance had saddled his own horse and then took off, leaving the other boy to hurry up behind him. He knew he should take it easy, don't strain her muscles, but God, he loved running. It was like he could leave all his worries behind and become someone else. It was amazing. 

After a minute he slowed down, and waited for the hunter to catch up, walking slowly. Would it be weird to talk to him? Prince's didn't usually talk to people who were so clearly beneath them.   
But no one could see or hear them here, so Keith turned halfway in his saddle. "Lance, is it?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

As soon as the prince took off without a warning, Lance gasped in indignation. Was he considered such peasant that he couldn't even bother to wait for him? Smh. 

He got onto the horse as quick as possible after untying her and hurried to follow his dark figure, that was now far far away. Shit. 

Scratch everything from before, he still hated royalty, including him. This mare was different from his own horse, Kalt, it was clearly faster and stronger, harder to control. 

He slowed down to his side as smoothly as he could with such high rank horse, just in time to see him turn and ask the question. 

Once again he was surprised by the prince being the one to start a conversation. Why bother, if he was so beneath him? "Ah- Yes" he wanted to smack himself with a broom.   
Maybe the blue thief had spoken with royalty in a superior state, but not him, this was the first time he'd even made prolongued eye contact, and he had to admit he was quite scared to screw up with just his words. 

He cleared his throat and got one hand off the reins to take a fist to his heart, bowing slightly once more. "Leandro Lance McClain, it's a pleasure to be your companion this afternoon, your majesty." He clearly preferred Lance, but he couldn't ask anything for the prince, even if it was something so small like being called by his name.

Keith quickly looked ahead again. This boy truly was beautiful. This wasn't the time to get a crush.   
But he could still look at him, right? He never got what he wanted. His father would probably have him marry some rich royal, and they'd be obnoxious and stupid, maybe even more so than fucking Lotor. 

He hummed softly. "Yes." He had never really known how to respond to such things. His father was great at superiority, but Keith had only gotten the basics.   
He was a bit bored, to be honest. He wanted something to amuse him. God, he sounded spoiled, even in his own head. 

"Tell me about yourself, Lance," he demanded. He'd decided he liked that name. Lance. Leandro sounded okay too, but Lance just had that spark to it. It fit with his eyes. Those gorgeous, familiar, blue eyes. 

He stared straight ahead, waiting for Lance to tell him things. Maybe Keith could even figure out if he was the mysterious thief. Even though he sincerely doubted it. It couldn't be, it made no sense.

Lance lit up at the sound of his name on the prince's lips. -The prince's lips... What? Ew, god no. - It sounded nice, and the fact he'd chosen that name made him quite happy. 

That feeling soon turned into worry again though. Why did the prince want to know about him? He was a nobody, unless... Did he suspect anything? No, that was impossible, stupid, even. He was probably just curious... Or rather bored. Yeah. He was just a toy for his daily entertaintment. The boy he'd seen on lunch earlier that day and the boy now didn't look alike at all. Who was the real him? 

"Of course, your highness," he started, holding the reins tighter than necessary due to his concern.   
"I'm nineteen, my family comes from a country across the ocean, a small island. My father is the town's blacksmith, and my mother..." He trailed off for a second, not wanting to talk about it at all.   
Despite that, he couldn't say no to a prince's demand, so he forced himself to talk. "She has a strange disease that doesn't allow her to get up from bed." Nor talk or move at all. 

He looked down, then continued to look forward as the horses paced slowly to the forest.   
"I have a twin sister and three older siblings." What else could he tell him that wasn't too boring for him? Ah, who was he kidding, probably everything was boring to him at this point. What could impress a prince anyway? 

"I... hunted the hart you ate today-" 

Ah shit. He hadn't eaten that at all. How quickly could he mess things up?   
"I-I mean, I... I could always hunt one again, for you... That's my job after all." Quit talking goddamnit. This all went down since he started thinking about his mother and everything turned awkward.   
Why was he so weak? Had he bothered the prince? Probably.

Keith looked straight ahead, not showing any emotion. Of course. The hunter had seen that, what had happened at lunch. That must have been painful, especially for someone who didn't know what was happening. 

He didn't want to talk about that, and definitely not with some low level hunter. 

His mind drifted a little, still not saying anything. A sick mother, huh? That was sure to make people desperate. Desperate enough to break into a castle, even. 

Keith wasn't sure what he'd do for his own mother, had she still been alive. But he knew he would have died for her. Like she died for him... 

His face fell a little, almost unnoticably. It had all been his fault. If he hadn't been born, his father would still have lived happily with his wife. They had been deeply in love, which was rare for an arranged marriage. Keith was pretty sure that was the last time his father had felt love. He would have done anything for his wife, anything to avenge her death. He would have killed anyone who layed a hand on her. But he couldn't kill his own son, even when he turned out to be a failure. 

The king blamed him for everything, and Keith deserved it. It was all his fault. He urged his horse to go faster, pressing his legs onto it's stomach gently. She rode past Lance. Keith didn't want him to see his face right now, didn't want to talk anymore. 

Everything was his fault.

The uncomfortable silence left Lance wondering just how bad he'd screwed up, but the moment the prince started riding past him confirmed he'd messed up all of it. 

Which part had made him uncomfortable? Was it because of the lunch mention? No, the brief glance of his pained expression went beyond a bad relationship with their family. 

That's what hit him. The queen had left them the moment he was born, maybe the mention of his own mother had made him remember...?   
He tried to get next to him, making the horse he was mounting go slightly faster into the trees and bushes. "I apologize, my prince, I-I didn't mean to upset you...!"   
He dodged a branch threatening to hit his face and looked at him again, or at least he tried to. "Please, I'm so sorry, I should've never talked, please forgive me..." he begged him with a guilty tone, remembering he did nothing but hurt him over and over, twice now.   
"I'm sorry.."

Keith didn't look at him, half lost in his own thoughts. "You did not upset me," he spoke, his tone light. "I asked you to talk. That was my mistake." 

He didn't dare look at Lance again, afraid he wouldn't be able to keep the tears back if he did. Something about that voice, about those bright eyes just made him feel so... sorry. He upset this boy. He should not have. He should have just gone alone. 

Lance would find his way back, probably. He just needed some time to himself. No one could see him cry. He jabbed his feet into the horse beneath him and sprinted away, hanging low over the horse.   
He barely needed to do anything but hold on as Kosmo found her own way through the trees. They ran and ran, until Keith realised he couldn't escape that crushing feeling in his chest. 

He had lost Lance. Good. He slid off his horse and onto the forest ground, against a tree. He didn't care about the dirty mud staining his pants, or about the soft sobs now escaping from his throat. 

He had killed her. He should die for that, like anyone would have had to. He should have died. He had been a small baby, born way too early. The doctor hadn't been sure whether he'd make it.   
His father had spent weeks up in his own room, drowning in grief and unable to take care of his own son, the baby that had killed his love.

A heavy weight crushed the hunter's chest as the prince spoke. He'd clearly done more than upset him, he'd hurt him, and the fact he considered letting him talk was a mistake pained his own heart as well. 

His eyes widened as he sprinted deep into the woods, him restraining from calling out to him. He couldn't speak after being told those words. 

He lashed the reins and made the horse run faster, trying to catch him through the heavy undergrowth, but despite his efforts he wasn't used to this horse nor he could control him completely, and she suddenly braked dry, neighing loudly and standing on her back hooves, making her horseman fall flat against the hard floor. 

He groaned in pain, but he tried to steady himself when the albino mare started running the opposite way. "No, wait!" he yelled, but when he was up she was already too far from his reach. Shit...! How had that gone so wrong?   
Ok, she'd probably stay close if not deciding to return to the castle, that could be taken care of.

"Ow..." he whined quietly at the striking pain on his back, quickly taking his bow and arrow by arrow, checking if any of them had broken. Luckily, his entire equipment was alright. Good. 

After an intense freakout the guilt returned, crushing him harder than any physical pain he could ever experience. 

How...? His words, right. He should just shut his fucking mouth, he talked too much anyway, and for hunting you needed to be silent.   
He steadied himself and started looking at the ground's hoofprints, the broken branches and ruffled leafs, getting the direction and starting to run to their way.

What? He couldn't leave the prince on his own. Technically, it was his commander's order, and the prince hadn't ordered him anything about leaving him.   
Plus... He really needed someone right now. Anyone that wasn't him, but that was all he had in this damned forest... Or was it?

Keith dug his nails into his hands until he bled, but it did nothing. Thick, hot tears streamed over his cheeks, onto the leaf strewn forest floor, and his quiet sobs echoed around the open space. 

Here, he was safe. They wouldn't find him here. His father wouldn't hurt him for being weak, Lotor wouldn't tease him for crying, and Lance wouldn't look at him with that pitiful gaze.   
That might have been the most awful thing of all, the thing that broke him. That look. Those wide, blue eyes staring straight into his soul. He was hot, way too hot. The burning sun cooked him through the high trees, and he pulled off his vest with trembling fingers, and then his shirt as well. 

Dark and a little less dark marks littered his back and arms, and the bruise on his chest was biggest of all, newly formed on his skin from this morning. He didn't care, as long as no one could see him.   
Sweat dripped along his back, over his face, and mixed with his tears. He was just so sad, and no one could know. No one could see. This was his burden to carry.   
And he was weak, needing to cry for it. He was weak for not being able to carry it like a Prince. He cried for a long time, until he ran out of tears.   
Then he leaned back and closed his eyes, deep in thought.

It took a while between having to run and follow the track to get to the source of soft sobs. His hunter primal instincts made the brunette crouch, quietly approach it's target behing bushes as cover.   
When he glanced between the voluptuous green leaves his expression fell, mouth dropped, eyes wide, heart stopped.

Not in a million years could he have imagined such beaten up body, bruised and cut, being owned by none other than the prince. 

He'd caught him crying, but the purple, black and green spots on his pale skin had him shocked and grounded to the floor, the only stable thing right now. Who would hurt someone so badly? He could only guess the source of all that was the King... But he still didn't know why.   
This was horrible, and he was speechless, but as the prince stopped crying he slowly got out the bushes and tried to approach him as if he was a wounded animal.   
This forest wasn't safe, and they needed to get out. 

"....Your majesty...?" He said softly, still frozen at the sight in front of his eyes.


	6. Lance And Keith, Sitting In A Tree

Keith look up in shock, his eyes red and puffy from the crying. Shit. Oh shit. He jumped up and grabbed his shirt. 

It wasn't that abnormal, a father punishing his son physically. But he knew his own father took it a little further than that sometimes. The look on Lance's face told him everything he needed to know. 

Lance was disgusted by him. Keith made a lot of mistakes to earn all these scars and bruises, and now Lance knew.   
He took a few steps back as he tied the lace on his shirt.   
"What are you doing here?" he asked in indignation, as if the boy hadn't caught him crying. He cursed himself mentally. Why was he so stupid? Lance was a hunter, of course he could find a sad Prince in the forest. 

He turned around, pretending to pet his horse, while wiping his eyes furiously. Don't let him see.   
How long had he been standing there? What had he seen?

The prince's acting only broke Lance more, he felt he could literally cry for what he'd seen.   
"I... I couldn't leave you alone, this part of the woods isn't safe.." He said, taking a few more steps to his direction, leaving only a meter of distance between them.   
"I... Oh god, that... I'm very sorry, your highness..." He muttered, not quite knowing how to approach him. It was his fault. Some of the bruises had seen old, but the rest were clearly recent as if they'd been made just today. 

He dug his nails into his arms, pressing his lips together in a grimace. "Y-you don't have to keep it to yourself, we could... Find a solution, talk.."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Keith lied. Hearing Lance's apologies only made it worse. Lance apparently didn't know what he'd done, why he deserved each and every one of these bruises. "Go back to the castle. I will be fine on my own." 

He didn't get back on his horse, but guided her along as he stepped deeper into the forest, hoping to leave Lance behind. 

His father was gonna kill him. He let a stranger see him cry, see him beat up. There was a reason Keith hid his bruises.   
One, because any imperfection on a Prince was a blow to the reputation of his whole family, his whole kingdom.   
And two, his father didn't want anyone to see how many mistakes Keith made. They hid it. 

And if his father heard he'd been crying.. Sadness wasn't a strong emotion, and you could definitely not display it in any way.   
The last time Keith had been allowed to cry.. He could remember it.   
The first time he'd been beaten for it was when he was four. And now.. Everything was over. Lance would tell everyone. His father would hear, and he would.. Oh god.

Thinking it was obvious the prince wouldn't spill so easily, the hunter followed after him, keeping the same distance between them. 

"I'm afraid I cannot return without you, my prince. I cannot risk something happening to you while I'm on duty," he tried to excuse himself, but it was the truth as well. If something, anything happened to him while he was supposed to accompany him, he'd be the one to blame, and the one to punish. 

He knew the forest like the palm of his hand, dangerous animals and... other species, lived near the place. He wouldn't let him be the bear's dinner. 

He decided a distant, professional approach would be better. "...I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about. And I won't speak if you don't want me to, either... But I can listen to anything you want to say, your highness." 

He heard the gentle rustling of the wind against the leaves, the small animals roaming around, and felt the sun making it's way from the trees to them, lightning the place faintly.

Keith gritted his teeth. "I don't want to talk," he sneered. Wrong. He did want to talk. He wanted to tell someone everything, to cry with them.   
But he couldn't. He needed to do this on his own. 

"I am your Prince, and you listen to me. Go back." He didn't like ordering people, playing the Prince card. But if Lance didn't go away now, Keith was afraid he'd spill everything.   
He'd had to stop crying so abruptly, he hadn't had time to block his emotions, to be normal. He couldn't do this. He needed to be alone, gather himself. Get his head on straight. 

"Go away." His voice broke. "Just go away. I don't want you here, and I don't need you. I can handle myself." He was the Prince, for God's sake. He should be able to take care of himself. And if he got attacked by an animal, killed even, that would be his own fault for not being strong enough. 

Maybe he wanted to die. His father could pick a new heir, someone more suitable. And he could finally rest.

Lance kept following quiet for a moment, hesitating whether to stop or not. Despite every part of his body told him to obey, he couldn't just leave him alone, physically and emotionally, he would probably crumble again. 

He took a deep breath and raised his gaze to him, the darkest bruises visible through his shirt, and knew he was about to make something stupid.  
"No," he declared firmly. Ah shit, too strong.   
All due respect, your excellency, I know you can defend yourself from most dangers around here, but... it's not the wisest thing to risk yourself in the open on this state, nor being alone when you're... going through a hard time," he said with more and more empathy.   
He knew what loss, guilt, loneliness and impotence felt, how no matter how hard you tried, it would never be enough. 

"You'd be surprised... We may have more in common than you think," he muttered, looking at the floor. "Please stop, there's nothing to run away from."

Keith stopped, let go of his horse and turned around. His feet took two quick strides and he grabbed Lance by the front of his shirt. 

"You and I are nothing alike," he growled into the boy's face, anger seeping through every syllable.   
Anger at Lance, for asking inappropriate questions, for getting involved in stuff that was clearly none of his business. At Lotor, just for being an ass. At his father, for hurting him. But mostly at himself.   
He was weak, and pathetic, and every other thing his father said about him. He wasn't suited for the throne, to rule a kingdom. He should have died when his mother did. But he didn't. So he needed to let his anger out some other way. 

He threw Lance back on the ground, towering over him. "What's going on with me is none of your business. You should never have followed me, and you should have obeyed when I ordered you to leave. You should know your place. I will not be spoken to like that." 

And for a moment, he recognised his father's words coming out of his own mouth. His expression... It was exactly like the one he'd feared for years now. 

But the fire inside him was not like his father's at all. His father raised his voice to be respected. Keith did it to be left alone. 

"Go away," he repeated. He wanted desperately to fall down, to cry, to tell this boy everything that had ever happened to him. But he couldn't. He needed to be strong.

The moment rage emitted from those indigo eyes, directed to him, the hunter shrunk. Taken by surprise he hit the ground hard and felt every word going through him like spears, his horrifying, full of anger expression forcing his body to shiver in fear.   
Genuine, non hidden fear, because for a moment he thought the prince would grab a rock and smash his head with it, kick him, punish him like the many times king Zarkon had personally punished his people in front of his eyes, even his own family.   
They shared the same scary glance. 

Why was he surprised, if they were father and son? Royalty? Could he have made a mistake by trying to make up for what he stole from them? It looked like it, since clearly... the prince on top of him was as cold blooded as the rest. 

He was right, he should know his place, return to being a nobody. He shouldn't have come in the first place. Not even the horse deemed him worthy. 

He didn't know when he'd raised his hands to his face defensively, waiting for the impact that never came, and so with shaky movements he crawled back and got up, not daring to look at the prince any longer. 

"I-I'm sorry...Your majesty. I'm sorry." He was tired, tired of apologising for different reasons every time.   
In automatic mode he turned around and started walking away.

Keith felt bad, but in a different way than he was used to. Usually, he felt bad for disappointing his father, for doing something wrong. For not being strong enough. But now, now he'd hurt someone. 

The look in Lance's eyes killed him. Keith had never liked forced submission. He was exactly like his father, but weak. How could he only inherit the bad parts? 

But he couldn't let the hunter go like this. If he was upset, he would tell people. His father would know what had happened. He needed to fix this, somehow. 

"Lance, wait," he said, taking a few steps in his direction. But before the boy could turn around, he heard a soft 'snap', and suddenly, his legs weren't on the ground anymore. 

A thick net had risen from the ground, capturing both him and Lance high up in the air, swinging from the trees. Keith let out a high pitched shriek as they came to a stop, incredibly high in the air. He and Lance were pressed together, so Keith quickly backed away, which was hard since the net pushed them together. 

This was way inappropriate. He couldn't be touching a servant like this, and he didn't want to. 

The net slowly swung to a halt, and Keith calmed down as well, though still trying to get away from the other boy. 

Air scaped the hunter's lungs the moment he was violently lifted off the ground, and suddenly he was in a forest net-- with the prince against him? 

With wide eyes he tried to gain distance from him, but their weight ended up pulling them together again and again the more they moved, so he tried to control his accelerated breathing and faced the net instead, clinging to the thick interlaced robes as a faint blush spread through his cheeks. 

What the hell was that? He took a moment to remember when all that had gone wrong, again. Maybe the state of fear he'd been induced into had made him take a different path - In reality he didn't even look where he was heading - and this forest was plagued of traps. How could have he forgotten such important detail? But most importantly he... He'd touched the prince! 

Involuntarily, but they'd still been pressed against each other. A cold feeling ran from his head to toe. If the prince wasn't completely mad before he'd definitely want to kill him now, for overstepping his personal space and getting them trapped. 

"Shit, I-I'm- I'm really sorry! I'm sorry...!" He heard himself apologising again while searching for a weak or rotten spot on that net.   
None. Awesome, amazing, just perfect. He'd take ages to free them. How... How was it that he didn't do more than fucking things up? 

Taking the dagger off his belt he picked a robe and started cutting desperately, afraid of what the prince behind him would do. If he didn't hurt him now he sure would once he free them out. He was shaking in panic, and it was making the cutting more difficult.

Keith bit his lip. He hadn't brought a knife himself, so he'd have to wait until Lance had cut them free. At least he could use this moment to..   
Was this smart? True princes didn't apologise, his father always said. Unless it was to those superior to them. Like the King. 

Power means never having to say you're sorry.   
But he didn't have any power. Just because he was a Prince didn't mean that this guilty feeling in his chest was any easier to ignore. 

He lay his hand on Lance's, stopping him from cutting, and trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling on his fingertips. If he was gonna do this, he should do it the right way. 

"Leandro," he spoke, purposely using the boy's full name. It sounded more distant. Good. "I should not have reacted so violently. You were right. I was upset." 

He took a deep breath, and let go of the boy. It didn't feel comfortable, touching someone skin to skin. It left him a strange, burning feeling, making his fingers quiver, so he quickly hid it by grabbing the net behind him. 

"Now get us down, and don't drop us," he spoke, trying to regain his cold, demanding exterior.   
Don't let him see how hurt you are. Don't show him your pain. 

The way Lance was pressed against him out a lot of pressure on his bruises, and he cringed everytime they moved. But he couldn't complain.

What his ears caught couldn't be believed. Had the prince just... apologized to him? It was short and took a bit of imagination to see it as an apology but it was there, and it was enough to prove him he didn't want to kill him just yet. 

He took a deep breath, trying to stop his quivering body, since the moment he felt the pale hand of the prince on his he'd legitly thought he would take his dagger and hurt him somehow, and Leandro.... He didn't like it. That was the name his father used every time he would tell him off or punish him for disobeying. 

He stared at the birds dancing freely outside in the green forest for a bit before continuing cutting, this time aiming for the right angle. 

Get them down without dropping them? That was impossible unless someone slowly let the rope holding them down. He'd have to improvise. 

"I'll try, thank you for your mercy, my lord." He muttered softly. "...I was only trying to help, to make up for what I did... T-This afternoon, I mean." He clarified nervously, almost giving away he was the one who robbed him last night. "It wasn't my intention to make you upset and I keep messing up, I deeply apologise," he murmured with traces of culpability, cutting the hard rope while doing so.

Keith leaned back as much he could without shifting the net too much.   
He'd handled that well. Luckily, his father would never have to find out he actually apologised to a servant. 

"It's not your job to interfere in my personal business," he said blankly, unable to keep his eyes off the boy. 

Now that things had cooled down a little, he couldn't help but stare. Gosh, this guy was even more gorgeous up close. He would never get this close again, it would be inappropriate, so he'd have to make the most out of it. Just because he didn't like touching anyone didn't mean he couldn't enjoy that beauty. 

The thick ropes behind him cut into his bruised back, and he whimpered, hoping that Lance wouldn't hear. It was too bad this boy might be his burglar. He was cute. So cute. 

"Quit apologising," he spoke eventually. "I don't like it."

Pressing his lips together to avoid apologising again, the tanned boy nodded. "Yes... Your majesty," he whispered. He truly felt like crying. 

No matter how hard he tried, the prince would never stop being rude to him, and he could almost sense his hate in every word. He'd really been a fool to think the prince could be different from the rest, a nice guy, even.   
All his personality shifts confused him, and he didn't know if he should feel this guilty or feel nothing at all. Clearly the prince wanted him as far as possible, and that he would grant him. 

'I don't want you here, and I don't need you.' 'I don't like it.' 'Know your place.' 

Spoiled brat... Spoiled... He blinked to avoid the tears already forming on his eyes, when his ears caught faint chatter coming from afar, branches broken and steps getting closer. 

Knowing a group was approaching them he started cutting faster, feeling his body tense as a warning in advance.   
When the rope was thin enough he glanced at the prince, turning to his side. He hesitated, but from this height it was impossible not to get both of them dropped. Footsteps nearing. 

Without a warning he took the prince's waist and pulled to him, cutting the final rope and provoking a chain reaction in the net. In a quick motion he embraced the prince, falling on his back, bow and arrows and taking full impact.   
He groaned painfully, white dots dancing around his shut eyes, and took his arms off the prince.   
Kosmo, who'd been impatiently neighing since they got caught, trotted to their side.

Keith got up as quickly as he could, not enjoying the full contact of their bodies. He had heard it too. Someone was coming. 

He took Kosmos reigns and climbed on top of her back, looking down at Lance. "Where is your horse?" he sissed, as the boy got up. When it was clear the horse was nowhere near, Keith grimaced and sighed, before gesturing over his shoulder. 

Whoever was coming couldn't find either of them here, because Keith doubted they were friendly. Sure, he could just leave Lance behind, but this boy had just saved him from a net. Besides, he wasn't a monster, even though this meant they would have to sit close to each other. 

Alright, if he had to touch anyone, he was glad it was the hunter. He at least wasn't an asshole. He extended his arm for the boy to take and then pulled him on. 

When Lance was barely seated, he made Kosmo run as fast as she could, which was incredibly fast, though not as fast as before since she wasn't used to two riders. Keith didn't look at Lance, but felt his back burn at every place they touched. It felt horrible. Like his body was preparing to be hurt. His riding was a little off due to his tense discomfort, but luckily Kosmo knew the way.

The prince's more than obvious discomfort passed onto the hunter as well, who was doing his best not to fall without touching him. 

Ah, he should feel terrible now, disgusted even, for sharing the same horse with a peasant like him. How could someone as rude and salty as the prince hurt him emotionally? 

An arrow thrown to their side snapped him out of his thoughts and back to reality, looking back as the people from before followed them with horses. They were too far for him to see, but they were at least two with identical suits.   
Who the hell were they? 

Another arrow, and this time it graced his shoulder, cutting his skin. Realizing this was a live or death situation he took a deep breath to steady his hands and loaded the first arrow into the string of his bow, turning as much as he could while trying to keep himself steady on the moving mare. He examined the speed of the target and locked his eye on a specific spot. He raised the bow and took aim as the other person did the same.   
Little did they know he was faster.  
He held the position for a solid second before letting the arrow fly, hitting then right on their chest and making them fall from their horse. One remaining. 

He didn't care how badly they'd get injured, anyone that tried to harm the prince should be hanged - like himself - . He was about to aim at the other person in disguise, but surprisingly they stopped to help their partner as soon as they fell. 

After holding his position for a few minutes just in case, he tried to relax and saved the arrow, crossing his bow over his shoulder afterwards. 

They returned to the safe zone of the forest, and he could already see the castle from afar. They'd followed them, chased then out the depths of the woods.   
They'd clearly tried to get the boy in front of him.

Keith rode as fast as he could, forcing himself to focus on the horse, on the way home, and not on the body pressed tightly to his. 

He wished he could ask Lance to back off, but the boy was already sitting on the edge of the saddle, and he didn't want him to fall off. 

At least he'd taken care of their followers. Who were they? Had they known Keith would be riding through the forest today? 

He held Kosmo's reigns tightly and forced her to run even faster, wanting to get off the horse as soon as possible. He was sweating, the salty drops stinging in an open cut on his back. A branch hit him in the face, leaving a red mark, but he didn't care. Just get out of here, as fast as he could. Then Lance could do whatever he wanted, and Keith could go back to being tortured by his guests and father. Great. 

He slid to a halt in front of the Castle gates, and the guards opened them for him immediately. They looked at him strangely, but that was probably due to the fact he had a servant on the back of his horse. God, this was embarrassing. 

He rode straight into the stables, and slid off the horse, before closing the doors behind him for some privacy. He didn't say anything, unsure of what he should do in an unusual situation like this.

The hunter got off the panting mare, caressing her to show her his grattitude for keeping up all day.   
Glancing around the stable he noticed the albino horse he'd taken earlier that afternoon was there, thank god. 

He analized the prince's gaze while trying to figure out what he was thinking. Was he tired? Bothered? Angry? Probably all three, and it was thanks to him.   
The cut on his arm has started to bleed without him noticing and he pressed a hand on the itching skin. 

"...You should avoid such off limits from the forest, your excellency," he commented as casually as he could, and since he couldn't literally apologize, he bowed down with a fist on his heart. 

"I understand, I won't bother you again, my prince." Because that's what he was, nothing but a screw up dead weight. His path wasn't meant to be crossed with someone's rich, gold patterned one. "Good evening." 

With that said he headed to the exit at a firm but quick pace. Just go on with your life, you've already helped enough. For making the prince upset he'd recklessly ran through the forest, for following him they got into a net and he could've been injured or worse. Enough damage for today.

Keith bit his lip, watching Lance leave. He couldn't help but feel he'd done something wrong, hurt Lance in some way, but he couldn't think what. He had been as appropriate as he could have been in that situation.   
Maybe Lance didn't respect him anymore because he'd caught him crying. God. Lance wouldn't tell anyone, right? 

Keith didn't even think about the injury Lance had got. He was a servant, he would get it treated in the infirmary.   
Keith took his time unsaddling and brushing Kosmo, enjoying the little time he had on his own. Kosmo didn't judge him, didn't despise him. Kosmo didn't really care what he did wrong. 

After he'd postponed leaving the horse for as long as possible, he put him back in his stable and made his way back inside.   
If he was lucky, he could avoid everyone until dinner and then.. He sighed, walking through the hallways. And then they'd continue taunting him. Great.


	7. Choke Me, Daddy

Having treated and bandaged the wound himself, Lance headed outside again to hunt what he'd been asked to, but hadn't been able with so many fucking things going on at the same time.   
He took Blue with him and headed into the forest. Weird weather, he thought, since the afternoon had been pretty sunny all the snow had melted. It was starting to chill once more though. Maybe the gods had tried to give the prince and him a chance to bond, which they'd clearly failed to use. 

Maybe he was too sentimental, or the prince too cold blooded, with a selfish heart of stone, but he couldn't stop feeling frustrated with absolutely everything; at himself, for hurting and putting someone in danger; and Prince Rude, Selfish and Spoiled, who clearly didn't know how the rest of the humanity worked, how his actions made them feel. 

As the sky got cloudy, he hunted until dinner came with the help of his loyal partner, ate, and by the time he left his catch in the kitchen and headed to the royal dining room before any of royalty.  
Except an obnoxious prince. Not his prince though. 

"Oi, hunter boy," he called to get his attention. "Catch me some fish next time, will you? Too much red meat isn't good for your skin." 

Lance felt the sudden urge to throw him in the frozen rivers of Daibazaal so he'd catch them himself. He was a hunter, not a fisherman, fucking moron. 

He saw the king and queen enter the room along her servant, who stood by his side as the royalty sat down, Hunk entering the room afterwards followed by the waiters who held the plates.

Keith had really tried to be on time a this dinner, not wanting a repeat of lunch. But he failed miserably. He'd met Shiro in the hallway, and had told him about the maybe-enemies that had attacked them in the forest. Shiro had of course reacted immediately and sent a group to scout, though he doubted if it would be of any use. They would be long gone by now. 

And so Keith almost ran through the hallways, about five minutes after he should have been in the dining room. The doors were opened for him and he walked in, bowing to his father and the Queen before sitting down, not meeting any of their eyes. He didn't need any more judgement. It was so clear what they were all thinking. 

His fleeing eyes found Lance's, and he held his gaze for a couple of seconds, drowning in that deep blue, before staring down at his not yet served dinner. He was absolutely starving, but he wasn't sure if his father would let him eat. Especially after coming in late again. 

Lance seemed to be doing fine. He probably didn't care about their earlier encounter. He was a hunter, and the Prince didn't interest him like that. 

This was gonna be hell, but it would be okay. One day almost done, four of five to go. Keith wasn't sure when they'd leave again, but they most likely wouldn't stay for more than a week.

An exquisite dinner was served in front of them, consisting of boar, pasta, rice, salad, a fine wine and small compliments on the table. 

The moment Lance met the prince's eyes he'd wanted to look away, but for some reason he waited for him to do it first. He decided he didn't want to look at that silky onyx bangs or that perfect snow white skin or those stupid purple irises.   
No, he may be stupidly handsome on the outside but on the inside he had nothing, empty. Anyone could be sad. That didn't confirm he had emotions beyond that, and he didn't remember a time he'd seen him smile, either, besides when talking to his commander. Hm. 

The king didn't bother to greet his latecomer son, and spent most of the dinner talking to the queen and her son, who seemed particulary interested in Daibazaal's economy and military state. They talked and talked, eventually Lance using the chance to speak to the blond servant next to him, not holding back to flirt with her in the meantime.

"My mother's kingdom has the strongest troops in the country. The alliance sounds like the best idea I've heard in the last decade," the tanned prince commented with approval, sipping on his wine afterwards.

"You should call it as it is, son, marriage," the queen spoke casually this time, cutting a piece of her meat. "And yes, after Yorak's name is signed in our book our borders will expand considerably. Our arquitectura could be applied here as well."

Keith looked up, and couldn't hold his tongue. "Marriage? Who's getting married?" 

He didn't know anyone who'd been close to being engaged, but then again, royals married each other constantly. 

There were several good reasons for marriage. Firstly, the peace between two kingdoms. They didn't necessarily have to merge, but usually they did. Especially if the participants were firstborn and heir to their kingdoms.   
Lots of royals married for power, of money. That often happened when less high placed families married their children off to richer ones. 

But the way Lotor was talking, it sounded like an alliance between their kingdoms. Who could possibly get married here? His father would never remarry, not even to queen Honerva. Next in line would be... 

He looked up at his father. "You can't mean.." Please, no. Not him. And not to.. to Lotor. He couldn't.. He wouldn't.. 

"Father?"

He'd just turned eighteen when his parents announced he'd get married. Zarkon had been told he'd marry someone eventually, so he didn't make a big deal about it.   
He hadn't met the woman he'd marry until one day before the actual wedding, but the moment he saw her he felt something he'd never felt for anyone else. People said he used to be a fair and benevolent king.

But that king was long gone, dead and buried, along the woman he once loved.  
Everyone in that room had gone quiet the moment the prince spoke, and everyone, including the hunter, was looking at the royal family awaiting for their response, and after seconds of silence the king looked at his son with cold eyes. 

"You've proven multiple times you're not capable of handling your own person, let alone ruling the entire kingdom. You're weak." 

The albino prince grinned all the way, already tasting the bliss of his coronation ceremony. 

"You will marry Lotor, heir to the throne, and that is not negotiable." Having finished he turned to drink from his wine, making clear that was final, that it was inevitable.

Keith stood up from his chair, which nearly fell back with the force with which it was shoved away. 

Marry Lotor? Never. 

He dreamt of love, no matter how unrealistic. He'd accepted a long time ago that he would probably marry someone he didn't know, someone he didn't care about. But this was worse. So much worse. 

"I can't marry him," he spoke, shocked at his own disobedience. He hadn't stood up against his father in, well, forever. "And I won't. I.." He hesitated. He wanted to yell at them for even thinking of that ridiculous idea. He and Lotor.. It was bad enough spending one weak with him, let alone his whole life. 

Sure, he could mostly avoid him, but they'd have to sleep in the same room. They'd have to kiss. They'd have to... Oh god, no. He refused. 

And besides the intimacy, they'd have to rule together. Lotor would never listen to him, it would be unbearable. And the king would of course make sure Lotor had the right to make all decisions, even over his own husband. This couldn't happen. No.

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single prince in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a partner. 

The workers? Shocked. The queen? Raging. The king? Infuriated. Only one person in that room was smiling, and that was the ice blue eyed prince, foreshadowing what was about to happen, silently telling Keith he was a fool. 

Zarkon stood up slowly, and from Lance's point of view the prince suddenly looked very small, not only due to the king's broad, tall, huge body, but because of his scary expression, getting darker and darker with each second. 

"You dare challenge me, boy?" he threatened him, both indigned and disappointed. A step forward. "You dare disrespect me in front of a whole crowd?" Another step. "You dare disobey your king?!" 

Fully concious and not minding at all that everyone was watching, he grabbed his son's throat with one hand, squeezing it and lifting him slightly off the ground. Every guard and servant was shocked, but when Lance turned to them waiting to see them intervene, no one was moving an inch. Why weren't they moving? How could they not move? Do something?   
His body moved on it's own and gave a step forward, but he was stopped by Hunk before he could do anything more.

Keith had expected it, but there was nothing he could do. Any attempt to escape was futile. Fighting was useless. No one would help. 

All he could do as his father's strong fingers closed around his throat and lifted him up was let a soft noise escape his lips and thrash wildly, his hands clawing at his father's and his feet not able to touch the floor. 

He was suffocating, and it was his own fault. But he wasn't sorry. He could never marry Lotor, no matter what his father did. He'd rather die. Was he gonna die? 

His chest contorted violently, begging for air, and his face turned red as his wide eyes whitened. He could just see Lotor's exhilarated expression and his father's cold stare, when he realised he only had two options. Marry Lotor, or die. 

He didn't really want to die, not that he was so close. He just wanted to be happy, to be free. He could never be happy with Lotor. That boy would.. Well, who knew what he would do, but it wouldn't be anything good. 

Black spots danced before his eyes. His lips moved, begging for air, but no sound came out. 'Please,' he meant to say. 'Don't do this.'

It took a few more seconds for the king to think about his request and finally let him go, dropping him to the cold marble floor. 

"You know what awaits you if you ever speak up to me again, I will not say it twice. Guards, Yorak is done eating." He gestured the frozen guards to hurry and lift him up, dragging him to his room afterwards before he sat down once more, sighing deeply. 

The hunter didn't breathe until the prince was spared, and yet he was still perplexed, aghast, even. Now he knew all of the bruises he'd seen on the prince's pale skin that afternoon were all due to the king, who was about to kill his own son a few seconds ago. Would he be able to? ...

He didn't want to think too much about it. His expression should be crystal clear right now, since Hunk patted his back to try to calm him down.   
How? How did everyone seem so calm like nothing had ever happened? How could they stay put while a boy his age was being choked to death? It was unfair.  
Unfair. And he wouldn't stand it.

Ok, maybe he'd try to hold back for now, but he knew at some point he would explode. 

How was Prince Yorak doing now...? He wished nothing more but hurry and help him, he hadn't eaten anything that day either, he should be starving. But he couldn't move until the rest of royalty finished their dinner.

Enough time to make a plan mentally.

They threw Keith backwards into his room after dragging him through the Castle hallways. He crashed to the floor and stayed down there for a while, still trying to catch his breath, and closed his eyes. Shit. 

Everything was garbage.   
He couldn't marry Lotor, but he also couldn't let his father murder him. He had a duty to his kingdom, to Daibazaal. And even though he despised everything about Lotor, and their life together would be horrible, he couldn't die. He didn't have a choice. If he wanted to protect his people, if he wanted to make a difference, he'd have to marry his worst enemy. Duty before love. 

His throat felt raw and sore and his breathing burned. But he forced himself to get up anyway, and walked to his bathroom, where he covered his red throat out of habit. Every servant would already know soon, but it wasn't that big a deal. He had been disaplined for being disobedient, like many children had. 

Sure, not every boy got nearly choked to death, but he was the Prince. No one would care. Keith wasn't worth caring about. 

He eventually lay down on his bed, but his hunger kept him awake. He had only had a few bites before... He couldn't change his father's mind. He would marry Lotor. Fucking Lotor. His life would be even more horrifying than it already was. Besides his father, Lotor would be able to boss him around too, to control him. This was gonna suck, so badly.

After what seemed like an eternity of endless royalty bullshit, Lance was able to return to the kitchen and stuff a variety of food in a bag. His cook friend knew he was up to something, probably something stupid, but he also knew Lance had always had that impulsive sense of justice, Robin Hood like, that made him be the hunter he knew and loved. 

Waiting in a hidden spot of the forest, he stayed until the moon rose and workers left the castle gates to change his clothes, despite the freezing cold. He left his palace hunter uniform in the usual spot, between a tree roots and hidden with snow. Despite knowing he could enter the castle from many places he decided not to complicate this thing more than necessary.

He eventually he climbed up the tower directly to the prince's room.   
It wasn't the first - and probably wouldn't be the last - time he'd used climbing arrows on the castle's walls.   
The aditional coat of frost made the rocks more slippery, and took extra effort for him to reach the top. His pitch black clothing made spotting him from the ground more difficult as well. 

When he stepped on the balcony as quietly as he could, he tried to regain his breath and sooth his aching arm muscles, looking around the place.   
It was high, the crystal doors were halfway open and they let him see part of the extravagant, far from modest royal room. 

Was the prince sleeping? Probably, it was very late. With the intention of leaving the bag of food inside he gently pushed one of the doors.

Keith wasn't sleeping, and he wasn't oblivious in the middle of the night. His eyes flew open when he heard something outside on the balcony. Was it a bird? It sounded heavier. 

He slid off his bed, and into the curtain covering his balcony. The doors couldn't lock, which wasn't that strange since the balcony was way too high for anyone to come in through there. Or was it? 

Soft footsteps echoed into his room, unheard if he'd been sleeping. But now they told him there was someone out there. Someone dangerous, obviously. They had just climbed up a steep, incredibly high tower, and made almost no noise.   
Luckily, Keith had a great sense of sound, and had been trained to be alert for intruders. If only he'd used that yesterday. That thief.. Wait... 

He couldn't have come back now, right? Maybe he wanted to finish the job. Maybe he wanted to punish Keith for telling the king. 

Keith grabbed the poker next to the fireplace and held it up, ready to attack anyone who came in. Then the door creaked open. The moonless night prevented him from seeing anything, but there was something that told him it was the thief. Maybe it was his scent, trees and something salty. Something animal-like?

After peeking inside the room in search of any signs of activity, the hunter -thief?- kicked the snow off his boots before stepping into the dark room. 

He checked his mask and lowered his hood just in case while making careful, quiet steps. He couldn't see much, but he knew a piece of jewelery glued to the wall decorations could be enough to feed his family for a month. 

Nonetheless, he avoided the temptations of touching what wasn't his and walked to the bed to check just how sound asleep the prince was.

And there was no prince on the bed. Feeling panic rise from his guts, he looked around but found nothing. Was the prince there? The blankets gave away he'd been there not so long ago, so perhaps he went to the bathroom or forgot something in another room? ...No. 

He was there, he felt watched, hunted. The hunter being hunted, the irony almost made him laugh. He placed the bag of food on the bed carefully and hurried to the balcony again, wanting to leave without any troubles.

Keith's suspicions were confirmed the light from one of his candles fell over the thief's face, and those gorgeous, blue eyes seemed to scream at him. God, they were beautiful. Exactly like the hunter's. 

Maybe, if he could stop the thief now, if he could bring him in, his father would rethink the marriage. Realise Keith could rule by himself. Maybe. 

He stepped out of the shadows, in front of the glass door to the balcony, and raised the poker even higher. "You can stop right there, thief," he spoke. Though, the man hadn't actually stolen anything. A quick glance towards his bed told him the thief had left something. 

Keith didn't understand, but it didn't really matter. He was gonna stop him, make his father proud. No matter what. 

"You're the one who stole from us. And you will pay for your crimes. Get down on your knees." He raised the poker even higher, threatening to swing it down on the boy's head.

Startled and dry braked, the taller boy took a step back. Okay, this was not how he'd wanted this to go, and certainly not what he'd expected. The prince had some balls to stand up against him instead of just hiding, that he'd give credit, but he couldn't let himself getting caught. 

"The fact you remembered me flatters me, Prince," he joked, raising one hand between them as the other slowly reached for his dagger. As soon as he took it he tossed it away, not making much sounds on the red carpet. 

"I don't wanna fight you nor I came here to steal, and.. I know what I did was wrong," he said, taking step after step back slowly to gain distance. If he wanted to apologize it was now or never. "But I had no choice. I'm sorry... if my actions harmed you in any way." His low tone was honest and regretful.

Keith took a step closer as the boy stepped back. Just knock him out. Do it. Sure, the poker may do more harm than he wanted, but his father wouldn't care in what state the thief would be brought to him. 

Just do it, Keith. Just hit him. Everything would be better. But something stopped him. Maybe it was the fact that the boy had thrown away his blade. Maybe it was the tone of his voice. Maybe it was his apology. But Keith actually lowered his weapon a little. 

"You're sorry? You're sorry?" he asked in indignation. "You actions.. You stole from me. You cut me, knocked me out. You made my father-" Wait, no. Don't talk about that. 

He took another step and raised his arms, preparing to strike. His father would finally be proud. "You will face justice for what you did." He bit his lip, but hesitated again. What if the thief had had a good reason? Was he telling the truth? Was he sorry? It didn't matter. He had committed a crime, he should be punished. 

"Get down," he repeated. Keith didn't want to hit this boy. He shouldn't, but he'd feel bad if he hurt the boy behind those bright eyes in any way.

Each word the prince said had the same effect from those these afternoon, It cut him like thorns. It wasn't until he'd mentioned all that that the thief realized the real damage of his actions, the repercussions of what he'd thought wouldn't be such big deal.   
With amazement, he felt even worse than before now, but he couldn't back down, he wouldn't kneel. The moment he did he'd surrender, and he'd never surrender. "No," he repeated accidentally in the same tone from before, continuing to step back. "I can't.. I never meant to hurt you, I never meant anyone to get hurt from what I stole, I had no choice but to knock you out, you wouldn't let me escape otherwise...!" 

He ended up reaching the end of the room, where he pressed his back against the wall, quickly taking a look to what was at his left and right side to plan a runaway path just in case before looking again at the prince's indigo eyes. 

"I came all this way to apologize, nothing more, I... I never knew that would happen to you if I..." He trailed off. He couldn't say that. "..I'm truly, truly sorry, prince Yorak. I fucked up, I'll never do it again.." At least not on such huge quantities. 

He locked his gaze on his, silently pleading him to believe him, understand him, spare him. "My family needs me, please... Please let me go." He had one hand raised to his chest, preparing to try to block the attack.

Keith took another step, ready to strike. The boy was defenseless, he could easily knock him out. His father would be proud. He might not have to marry Lotor. His reputation would be spared. Everything would go back to the way it was. But.. 

He looked into those deep blue eyes, and halted. He looked so.. so vulnerable. This boy was willing to risk everything, his family, his dignity, his life, just to apologise to Keith. How could he know the repercussions his actions had had on the Prince? The thief had done it for his family. How could Keith ever judge him for that? 

The poker fell to the floor with a loud bang, and Keith's face fell as well, devoid of any emotion. He had just doomed himself. 

"Get out," he breathed. "Just.. Go away." He turned around, not caring whether the thief would get out or attack him. His mercy had assured his destruction. 

He stepped in front of his bed, turned away from the boy, and stared ahead, horribly aware that letting the thief go meant a life of pain and misery. But he had no other choice. 

He didn't care about the stupid apology, or about the package he'd left on his bed. He just wanted to be alone, mourn his happiness while he still could. Had he ever been happy? He couldn't remember.

The tanned boy didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he saw the prince gaining distance from him. His lips parted as his heart screamed to say something, thank him, apologize again. Somehow he'd seemed... hurt? Conflicted, at least.   
Perhaps there was more of the full story he didn't know of, perhaps his head already had a prize on that castle, or the king. How come the prince had spared him then? 

Regardless of that, he shut his mouth, like he should've since the beginning, and headed to take and grab his dagger, before going out the cold outside of the balcony without looking back. 

The scent of warm food left him as he jumped around the balcony, holding onto the border and steadying his feet. One glance down was enough to make him shiver. Okay, it seemed even higher from up there. 

He took a deep cold breath and took the arrows still stuck between the tower stone bricks, starting to descend afterwards.

Keith felt like crying. Minute after minute, he stood there in the dark, but the tears wouldn't come. 

What had he done? He could have been happy. He could have finally done something right, for once in his life. But no, he had to go screwing it up like everything else he did. 

Why had he given him mercy, the thief that stole from him, brought him so much suffering, and caused his father to despise him even more? It was unfair. He'd been stupid.  
No one else would have hesitated. It was a dangerous criminal, and so much depended on bringing him in. And yet he hadn't. 

He didn't want this heart anymore. All it did was make bad decisions and cause him so much pain. It would be easier to get rid of it, to be emotionless and cold like his father. 

He sat down on the bed, not bothering to unpack the bag from which dizzying scents were spreading. He didn't deserve it. He deserved to suffer, to starve. To die. Why couldn't they just let him die? 

Maybe he should have asked the thief to kill him, just be done with it. But then again the thought of what would happen to the kingdom without him arose. Lotor might be a strong ruler, but he was also cruel. Keith couldn't let him rule on his own. No. 

So instead, he just lay in his bed until the tears finally came, and after that the sweet release of sleep.


	8. Shiro Is The Goodest Boi

Having outwit the guards near the walls and changed back to his hunter outfit, Lance walked home, not knowing what was right or wrong anymore due to the prince's troubled gaze. 

He was surprised the lights of his home were still on at this hour, and as soon as he entered, the scent of stuffed turkey hit both his nose and stomach. 

"Welcome home, tío!" his niece greeted him while running to hug him. He returned the hug, a tad confused. His family was visiting? Another person walked out of the dining room.

And when he met her bright brown eyes he froze. 

"What took you so long, honey?" his mother asked with a cheerful smile. 

She was standing on her own, and the vivid tone of her skin was back, giving all of her being a bright, healthy light.   
Her expression fell slightly as she saw his son starting to tremble, hot tears rolling down his eyes. "Oh Lancey... Come here." She extended her arms, which Lance hurried to embrace himself in, sobbing loudly against her neck.

"Mom...! I- I'm- I thought...!" He cried, hiccups not allowing him to speak nor think coherently as she soothed his back and told him it was alright. That everything would be alright.

Lance knew it wouldn't. A temporal miracle had brought the woman he deeply loved and so horribly missed, awaken her from her eternal slumber out a body he didn't even recognize. 

But that was that, a beautiful lie that wouldn't last forever. He wasn't sure how long it would take for the effects to start fading away, but there would not be a next time. He'd never be able to take gold from the treasury again, he couldn't hurt the prince anymore... 

But right now... Right now he just wanted to be happy, and enjoy the time he'd gained back with his mother. So he headed to sit down and celebrate her mysterious recovery with the rest of his family, taking as much as he could of their genuine bliss.

Keith had planned not to eat anything, but his growling stomach woke him up in the middle of the night. The package the thief had left had grown cold, but the mixture of bread, meat and pastries inside still tasted amazing in his empty stomach. 

Of course, it might have been naive to eat something given to him by a know criminal, but Keith didn't care. Besides, something in that boy's tone and expression had seemed so genuine, and Keith couldn't help but trust him. 

With a full stomach and a satisfied feeling he fell back asleep, and didn't wake until the morning.

Luckily, breakfast wasn't a mandatory meal to have together. Unless ordered otherwise, he would only have to have dinner with the royal families every night. He ordered a servant to bring him breakfast in his room, and then resumed his normal schedule. 

Mornings were for lessons. The variety of his education ranged over all sorts of subject, among which politics, economics, battle strategy and foreign languages. Keith was fluent in about five, but still had trouble with some, which his father loved to remind him of. The morning went by slowly, even slower than usual it seemed. But then finally lunch, which he had outside, the freezing cold giving him goosebumps through his thick winter coat. It was the only place he was sure Lotor wouldn't find him. 

He had been avoiding the other Prince all morning, not wanting to give him the chance to rub it all in. He had enough on his mind already. Lotor. His father. The thief. The hunter. Lessons. Shiro. Marriage. 

He still didn't want to marry Lotor, but he wasn't stupid enough to give his father another chance to kill him. He would just play along. Until... He sighed. What was he waiting for? Would he live his whole life by Lotor's side? God, no. 

After lunch, he made his way to the courtyard, where Shiro gave him swordfighting lessons. That would take all afternoon, and then he'd work on rapports until dinner. Great. 

~"Mother?" the tiny kid asked to the albino woman next to him. "Where's dad?"  
"...Victory or death, my son. He left his kingdom like a true hero, one day you'll understand."~

Kill or be killed. Lotor was four when he was running around a castle that wasn't his own and hiding under tables to cry on his own. Like always, the pale woman with dark onyx hair found him with a gentle smile. 

"Lotor, why are you crying?" she asked softly to the sobbing mess, who looked at her round tummy before raising his teary eyes to her.

"Y-Y-You w-won't wa-nt me an-y more..!" he cried, furiously wiping his tears away. He'd never met his father, and his real mother was never around, always in the middle of political disputes or in war with another kingdom, which had him staying weeks, even months with king Zarkon and queen Krolia. His mother was violent with him, and if Krolia replaced him he'd be sent back. He couldn't. He didn't want that.

"Oh sweetheart... You know I can't take you from Honerva," she explained, kneeling down to see the kid under the table. "But you'll always have a place in my heart, you and Keith both." The small kid hugged her, letting himself cry on that familiar embrace.  
"D-do you pr-promise?"  
"I promise."

Twenty years had passed since, and the naive boy had grown to be a strong man from being beaten up. Victory or death, his mother always told him when leaving him hurt on the floor. 

He'd worked all day and all night to be where he was, and he'd made it. He was strong, stronger than many, stronger than the merciless nature.

But what had Keith done to earn his place? Nothing. He didn't deserve the parents he had, nor the riches he possessed. Lotor loathed him.  
And so bad was his luck that he almost bumped into him while turning the corner. Fucking gremlin. 

"Watch where you're going, runt." He scoffed, crossing his arms and taking a few seconds to look at him up and down. Ah, he looked innerly pissed. He could use that. 

"After all, you must be polite to your future king." He grinned. Saying husband would've been nice, but king sounded even better. Gave him full control of all the things that the sunlight touched, including the person he despised the most.

Keith balled his hands into fists by his side. What he wouldn't give to swing at Lotor, punch that evil smirk off his face. But he held it in, any violence would only be returned tenfold. 

"You're not my king," he sneered. "Even if we were to marry, you will not stand above me, Lótor." The name came over his lips in absolute disgust. The thought of spending the rest of his life with this, this monster... It was nearly too much to bear. 

He wanted to leave, but Lotor was still blocking his path. Fucking asshole. Lotor did have a point, though. He would always somehow be superior, at least in power. No matter how hard Keith tried, his father and the queen would make sure Lotor was in charge, that he towered over Keith like ever. "Why don't you fuck off, leave me alone. I have better things to do." 

He didn't break eye contact with the boy, desperate to show at least the slightest bit of defiance. But Lotor had already seen him begging to be spared by his father, he had very little dignity left. True royalty didn't beg. His father would never have done that, nor would Lotor probably.   
But his father had a strange effect on him. On his own, he could stand quite a lot, be strong. But when his father was around, he was scared. He was so scared. And then pain... Don't think about that now. Just focus on Lotor.   
"Get out of my way," he repeated.

"Feeling like speaking up to your superiors today, I see. Fucking brat," the prince replied with disdain, still blocking his path. "I may not be your king yet, but I will eventually, and I don't need to be one to stand above you."   
Literally speaking he didn't need to stand straight to be way taller than him, and metaphorically? Well, same thing. 

He took two steps forward, looking down at Keith with a frown. "I won't allow your impertinence, either. If we're to live together, either we come to an agreement or you do as I say, and that's how it'll be." He stated. 

"But don't worry, it'll only be professional. The vague idea of even touching you..." The prince looked down and up at him with disgust. Yeah, they'd have to hold hands, perhaps kiss and things like that to public display, but nothing more. "-makes me sick to the stomach."

Keith clenched his teeth together and growled. The pure audacity.. "I assure you, I am not interested in any of that either. If it was up to me, we wouldn't even live in the same fucking castle." 

He took a moment to calm himself, fire and fury flowing through his veins and clouding his mind. Don't attack him. Don't do it. Just stay calm. "Now, let me through. I need to get to training. Unless you'd like me to practice on you?" He chuckled softly at the thought of hitting Lotor multiple times with a wooden sword. Yeah, that sounded nice. 

Keith was at least glad Lotor didn't want all that intimacy either. He had suspected that, of course, but still. He never knew what to think of that boy. He did look like a total pervert. Asshole. He pushed past him with difficulty and strode further along the hallway.

Offended, the prince turned around to chase him and grabbed his arm in time, tugging him so he wouldn't walk away. "You dare challenge me?" He repeated the king's words like a parrot, with the same disgust in his tongue. 

"And don't turn your back on me. You think you can talk to me like that and walk away?" He squeezed his arm with force, but a voice made him stop himself from doing something more.

"Prince Keith, you're late to your training." The commander was standing a few feet away from them, holding his arms behind his back and an emotionless stare, before it turned into a glare directed to Lotor. "And I assume you have things to attend to, your majesty?" 

Reluctantly, the taller prince let go of the other, and without saying a word he turned around and started walking away. After he was out of his vision, Shiro sighed and looked at Keith once again. "Now, what was all that about?"

Keith grabbed his sore arm and looked up at Shiro. "Nothing," he said automatically. But then he looked around, saw that Lotor was gone and came closer to his best friend. "I don't want to marry him," he whispered. "But my father.. He.. Well, he won't change his mind. You know how he is." 

Keith is sighed and stood up straight again. "We should get to training. I want to be able to punch that stupid grin off his face one day." He smiled softly and followed Shiro to the courtyard. "What are we gonna do today?" he asked casually, a fake smile on his face.   
He really enjoyed the time he spent with Shiro, of course he did. It was his best, maybe only friend. 

It's difficult to meet people when you're the Prince, and he'd spent a lot of time with the commander since he was just a kid. Shiro was like a brother to him, always ready to help. Even though there was very little he could do about his father's regime.

The commander stared at him and his forced smile with empathy for a moment. He'd always known this day would come, the day he'd be forced to marry against his will, but he didn't expect it to be so soon nor he enjoyed the idea of his husband for eternity being Prince Douche. 

"Before training... Don't lose hope yet, Keith. Who knows what could happen, perhaps you won't have to marry him. And even if you do, that doesn't mean you can't get to love someone else," he gave him a piece of advice, knowing prince Lotor would do the same.   
There were rumours of him roaming around a healer from the village, and whenever people brought that up his jerky expression seemed to chance to a real, more gentle and genuine one, and Shiro had seen that look many times, even on himself. 

He took a couple of steps and unsheathed his sword before turning around to face him. "Today I'll test your footwork and teach you a few more stances. On guard," he commanded while taking the initial stance, one step forward, body slightly sideways and sword ready.

Keith grinned and pulled out his sword as well. Whatever Shiro said always sounded like the truth, but Keith doubted him this time. 

"Yeah, I don't think so. Even if Lotor finds someone else, I doubt I will be allowed to." He chuckled while taking a stance like Shiro's, only slightly more aggressive. 

"And besides, who would want to be with me? I'm not exactly a catch." He knew no one would willingly be with him, and he'd accepted it. Lotor would marry him out of duty, and of course because he loved to taunt him. 

Keith didn't care about the fact that he was not good marriage material. He'd rather not marry at all. Marriage came with so much bullshit. Besides, Keith really didn't want anyone to touch him, and that was something obligated in Daibazaal. Can't marry someone without making it official. 

No matter how much Lotor and he despised the thought, they would have to. People would know if they didn't. But that was a problem for another day. 

Now, he looked up at Shiro again. "You know, I think I'm almost better than you at this. You're getting old." He grinned widely. Shiro wouldn't mind his taunts. That was one of the reasons why he liked hanging out with him so much. It made him feel safe.

"Am I?" The smug reply was accompanied by the most confident grin before Shiro charged against his pupil, him blocking most of his attacks, until with one fake strike he distracted him and made him fall to the ground with a kick of his foot. 

"I think this old dog still has tricks under his sleeve, things to offer," he replied, waiting for him to get up. Keith had gotten so much better over the years, stronger in many ways, although he doubted his father would be able to ever see it. "And you're right, the king's cold hearted, feared by everyone's son is quite hard to reach, but not Keith." 

He took a few steps back, his soft expression having a strong contrast against his strong stance. "I know you can't exactly do it here... But an advice from your brother? Take a vacation, forget the princey role forced on you and find the real Keith, the one you want to be."   
It wasn't the first time he'd suggested his friend to just... leave, escape, try to be happy, and although Keith always found an excuse he knew deep down that's what he truly wanted as well. The kingdom couldn't be any worse anyway with Zarkon as king, so his absence wouldn't be a mayor worry.

Keith pushed himself up from the ground and bit his lip. "You know I can't just 'take a vacation'. I have duties here, obligations. And there is no real Keith. I'm just me." He sighed deeply. "And I'm obviously not getting any better." 

He took a deep breath and raised his eyes up to Shiro's again, before striking. His hits were harder, faster, less calculated than Shiro's. But he hit again and again, until the sweat dripped from his back and he panted softly. 

"Alright. Fine. You're still better than me." He set his hands on his knees for a moment to try and catch his breath. Why couldn't he just break through Shiro's defence? It was unfair. He was the Prince, he should be able to beat them all. Even Shiro. Maybe even his father.   
He looked down and his expression changed almost unnoticeably. He would never be good enough.

Shiro had known him for years. He could tell if something was wrong, even with the smallest hints, or none at all. 

"You can't expect to beat me with ease, Keith, I have years of practice, lots of experience." He remarked, wiping sweat from his forehead with his iron arm. He'd lost so much in battle therefore won skills, so Keith would have to work even harder, even after having perhaps the most intense training in the kingdom. 

"You're both quick and strong, but you need concentration. Patience yields focus. The day you stop acting with your muscles and think with your brain, feel with your heart, that day you'll overpass me. And for that you need to find yourself," he repeated again despite the prince's previous answer, because he knew that wasn't true. 

Right now Keith was barely more than a puppet on gold strings, told what to do, how to act, how to feel, and he couldn't do more than obey. Feeling like he was his own brother, Shiro insisted if anyone had the power to change things, take the reins of his own life, it was him. 

He took yet another stance, one he hadn't taught him before. "This is used for thrusts, blocking and as the end point of a strike." The Ox consisted on a high, somewhat extended hanging position, sword reversed with thumb grip underneath for control.   
"Copy."

Keith bit his lip and copied him. It was difficult, hard on his arms, but he managed. He was still panting softly, but struck again, and again, hoping against hope to pierce through Shiro's defense. It was useless. He was reasonable at fighting, he knew that. He could beat anyone in the Castle, in the whole kingdom. 

Except for Shiro, and his father of course. And now Lotor too. Asshole. No, don't think about him. Concentrate. Patience. Patience yields focus. He was gonna beat Shiro someday. 

A small smile curved his lips when he remembered his youth, and how Shiro used to tone down his skills to give Keith a chance. That was different now. He knew the man in front of him was truly trying not to get beat. Keith had gotten better. And he would continue to do so. He swung his sword over his head and then changed it to a quick stab at Shiro's arm. 

He hit it. 

Luckily, it was the metal one and it just bounced off with a loud bang. Keith laughed. "Ha! I got you." It felt good, even though he couldn't come close to actually winning this fight.

"Oh you cheater, I wasn't paying attention!" the commander said with a laugh as well, knowing that was totally his fault and a fair hit. Was it bizarre he was glad he had that prostetic arm right now? Maybe. 

He remembered the bloody battlefield he'd had his arm completely slashed off his body, and those beautiful hazel eyes coming to the rescue while he blacked out due to blood loss and agonizing pain. He wouldn't have been able to survive if it wasn't for him.

And how did he repay him? By leaving.

He wondered where he was now.  
However, he returned to charge against the prince with the same agility and swiftness he always carried, continuing to train with him for the rest of the afternoon, teaching him new tricks and helping him improve on what he'd already caught, hoping he'd use all that to bring peace in the near future.


	9. I'm Making My Father Proud

At the end of the afternoon, Keith was sweating all over and extremely sore, but in a good way. It had been extremely rewarding to train so hard. And even though he had still not really beaten Shiro, he'd come closer than ever before. 

He thanked Shiro and walked back to his own room to take a long bath. That felt good. While the hot water soothed his aching muscles he thought about what Shiro had said. A vacation. 

Even if his father let him leave for a short period before the wedding, what would he even do? Would he lie on the beach and sip drinks while his guards stood watch?   
He chuckled at the thought. Nah, that was not for him. 

Maybe he could just camp out in the forest for a while. Maybe he could even convince his father to let him go with just one guard. He could take Shiro. Or maybe that other boy, Lance. That could be fun. Perhaps. 

But his father wouldn't let them go without some sort of purpose. Maybe Keith could convince him to let him check out the dangers in the forest. They still didn't know who had attacked him. He got out and quickly dressed. Uhg, dinner was almost ready. Great.

The strange weather continued it's course, but luckly the hunter had spent most of his day at home, updating his mother on everything that'd been going on... What, the last twelve years? 

He was still amazed by how she'd continued her daily activities, such as cooking or sewing, like nothing had ever happened. Like she hadn't been on a weird paralysis the past decade. 

So in the winter morning they went to the market, visited family friends and Lance took the chance to introduce her to Blue, his loyal companion all these years. 

As afternoon came he changed into his uniform and headed to hunt for the king once again, or rather prince. Normally other hunter would be in charge of wondering in the depths of the woods in search of an animal worth giving to royalty, but prince Lotor had seemed to notice his interest towards his servant, and had charged him to hunt for him for the rest of his stay.   
Lance wondered if the prince could order him around since technically he wasn't his prince, but he knew the consequences if he didn't obey. 

After his routine of skinning the quarry so Hunk and the rest of the cook could do their jobs, he quickly ate something before heading to the dining room, where the royal families starting to appear.

Keith really tried not to postpone heading to dinner this time. But every second he didn't have to look at that stupid prince's smug face was like heaven compared to what was to come.   
He didn't arrive late this time, though. He made sure to be there exactly when the bell signalled eight o clock, when he was expected to attend dinner. 

He sat down after bowing to his father and the queen, purposely not paying Lotor the same respect. That boy could suffocate in his own blood as far as Keith cared. 

As long as no one brought up the marriage, he would be fine. Lance was also there, he saw.   
That boy must have seen what had happened yesterday. Now he knew how weak Keith was. Great. 

The first course was served, and he quietly started to eat. His father was conversing with the Queen in low voices, and Lotor stayed silent, for now. That would change soon, Keith knew. Just you wait. Don't look at him, don't provoke him. Just stay silent.

Lance watched them eat from the side of the room, sepulchral silent as usual.   
He glanced at his left, where Hunk stood between him and the beautiful blond girl he'd been talking to these past days. Not that he actually liked her, but the way her master treated her made him sick to the stomach. It caused him to instantly drop compliments and low effort flirting in hopes to make her smile at least once. 

He looked at the royals again, and froze. The albino prince was staring at him, and the next thing he did was motioning with the index finger for him to go there. Why...? 

Gulping hard, his feet moved on their own through the wide room until he was only a few feet away from him. The king and queen didn't seem to mind, because they kept talking and eating like he wasn't even there. Like he wasn't worthy of paying attention. 

"Oi, hunter. Boar again? Seriously?" he said with incredulity. "I expected more from you. I told you I want something different. Bring me bear next time." 

The tanned boy widened his eyes, perplexed. A bear? Suddenly the idea of fishing sounded way better. Bears were big, strong, wild, extremely hard to hunt even for a group of people, and he was asking him?

"..I apologize, your majesty, but at this time of season most bears are likely to be hibernat-" he tried to excuse himself, but was cut off by his sharp, demanding tone.

"Do I look like I care? You should've thought that before messing with things that don't belong to you." 

Lance tensed his arms behind his back when he called Romelle an object, but tried to mantain a stone expression. 

"I am your superior, you do as I say, and if you don't bring me a decent meal next time believe me, I'll have you kicked out of this castle." 

His heart dropped, heavy as a rock, eyes like plates. Could he do that? Could he fire him? Just like that? He glanced at the king, who once more didn't seem to mind in the slightest what could happen to him, then back at Lotor.

"You can't... My family needs me, your excellency...! Please-"

"Nothing. I want a bigger catch. Try unicorns, maybe," he said with a grin, making Lance's blood boil with anger at such offense, and it showed in his face, but the prince just grinned even wider and waved a hand. "You can retire now," he said, turning to continue eating.

The hunter wanted to yell, to punch him in the face, but he clenched his hands on his forearms behind his back and bowed slightly before walking to his place. He wanted to cry. What would he do now...? He doubted he could catch something greater than deers on his own. 

Next time, he'd said? Tomorrow? He wished he had an excuse, any, to stay a few days home or leave until he could figure out what to do. For the prince he was probably just another toy to play with, but it was his job. The only thing he was good at, not making weapons like his father.   
Once he stopped he knew Hunk was glancing at him, but he just kept his head low and eyes on the ground, feeling completely hopeless.

Keith desperately tried to keep still, but his blood was boiling. How dare he? Lotor could treat hím badly, Keith barely cared anymore. But this was his servant. Lotor had very little right to treat him like this. 

The words were out before he could stop them. "Prince Lotor," he spoke, raising his head to face him, showing confidence and power. "I would appreciate it if you didn't speak to mý servants like that. They don't belong to you." Keith was glad to see his father hadn't reacted yet, he might not have heard him.   
Keith didn't look at Lance, but kept his focus on Lotor, ready for any form of attack, be it physical or verbal. Keith could take it. As long as he didn't make it worse for Lance. He'd put that boy through enough already. 

He put down his fork as well, though he'd only taken a few bites. His appetite had vanished at the way he'd spoken to Lance. Something inside Keith had ignited. Something furious.

The hunter was literally at the verge of tears after analizing the situation. What the prince was asking him was almost impossible; all bears should be sleeping, and if a few were roaming around, they would end him. 

Yeah, that's what he was asking him, to get himself killed. The unicorn and bear weren't different, both impossible. He would be fired, be a failure to his family and take care of the farm for the rest of his life. He was doomed. 

In between the existencial crisis he was having he glanced up at prince Yorak, who seemed upset with the albino Prince, although he couldn't hear what he said due to the distance and his quiet tone.   
Maybe he was telling him not to mess with things that didn't belong to him, just like prince Lotor had told him. After all they couldn't be that different, right? Both thinking of the rest as mere objects to use and throw away. He was probably just reclaiming his rights as prince.

Still he couldn't help feeling slightly glad, that the prince was, in a way, sticking up for him.

The dark skinned prince, however, was both surprised and intrigued. He did not expect Keith talking back at him nor the challenging expression on his face. Why would he risk himself like that for an insignificant slave? 

He was about to tell him he could shove his suggestions up his ass, that he was a prince, more than the hunter and most people in that castle, including him, but he was halfway right. He didn't own them... "Yet," he murmured back, smirking.   
"If they serve me in my stay here, prince Yorak, I am allowed to ask more of them and their full potential if required, but do not worry. When I do own them, my first task will be to keep only the best of the best, and get rid of obsolete service," he declared, raising his fork to continue eating. 

Lance's eyebrows twitched. Had he heard right? He knew it wasn't true, that he was one of the best hunters in that palace... Right? He wasn't obsolete, he was useful, needed... Irreplaceable.... Ok, now he would cry.   
He wanted to leave so bad, but he had to stay in place despite feeling awful. Why? He shouldn't care what a jerk like prince Lotor said, but it still hurt.. Maybe he was an object after all, but without purpose.

Keith lowered his voice even more. What he was about to say couldn't be heard by anyone else than it was meant for. Even though Lotor sat across the table from him, it could clearly be heard. 

"Maybe if you got your head out of your ass, you would have heard that this is not the season for bear hunting. I am not planning to yet my servants killed in a useless attempt to slay a bear on their own, especially because this one gets me quite excellent meat every day," he sissed. 

God, it felt good to speak back to Lotor. That boy couldn't control him, and he would never.   
Maybe it was his talk with Shiro, but Keith felt better, more confident. Lotor was not the boss of him. If they were to marry, they would be equals. And Keith had every right to call him an asshole, especially since it was true. No one would talk to his servants like that, and definitely not to Lance. Lance was a good boy. 

The prince choked on his food, totally taken by surprise, his face somewhere between indignation and infuriation. Who was this and what had he done to the weak, quiet Keith he knew? How dare he offend him like that? He would strangle him to death. 

"Listen here you piece of-!" He said between coughs, until he needed to drink wine to clear his throat. Of course he glared at Keith all the way, but when he let his glass down and opened his mouth to throw insults at him, his mother's voice caught his attention.

"Right, Lotor?"   
The prince kept silent, raising an eyebrow at the question. 

The queen sighed with disapproval. "Next time listen to what I'm saying instead of whispering with Yorak across the table. You're not a kid anymore." 

He widened his eyes. That wasn't fair! It was Keith who started it, but the way his mother was looking at him made him look down, fully quiet.

"Sorry, mother," he murmured, glaring up at the prince once again.   
His mother repeated herself, that the king would like to patrol the forest himself to see what was happening and finish the radical group once and for all, if there was any, but the queen offered that Lotor could go and check. He wasn't fond of the idea of wasting his time and effort wondering around the woods, and it wasn't his conflict to deal with, but he stayed quiet.

"I'll do it," Keith spoke, taken aback by his own words. Why had he said that? Maybe he wanted to prove himself, prove that he was just as good as Lotor, better even. 

Also, Shiro's vacation plagued the back of his mind. Being alone in the forest for a while sounded good. No Lotor to tease him, no father to hurt him.   
And then another idea hit him. He knew just who to take. That way, Lotor couldn't make him fight a bear, and couldn't fire him. It was perfect. 

"I will go," he repeated. "I will find out who they are, and get rid of them." He turned to his father. "Please, father. Let me do this, let me prove myself to you. I will kill them for you."   
He needed a win, needed his father's approval for once. Just a couple of weeks alone, and then make his father proud by bringing back the heads of those monsters.

No one at that table could've expected that, and everyone got different reactions - in which Lotor's surprised one stood out the most. 

Was he trying to overpass him? He wouldn't. But when he wanted to say he'd go, the king was already moving a hand so he would shut up. Cut off by both royals in less than five minutes. What the hell was going on? 

After a few seconds of silence, the king finally turned to his son and spoke with a neutral tone. "Looks like you have finally taken the initiative of your duties, I am glad." 

Lotor blinked several times. He was glad because of Keith? He was glad, because his son would finally be of use, be more than a pot doing nothing in the castle all day. 

"Alright, you may go and bring me their heads. Just then I will reconsider your value." He wasn't sure his son would be able to do such thing, but something about his tone, perhaps the determination, told him he'd finally waken up. "But you will not go alone. You're old enough to choose your own squadron, or soldier, if you prefer." 

A whole hunting party could be strong in number, but loud and hard to control. A single man, however, could be perfect to infiltrate and silent missions, especially if he knew the ways of the wild forest and how to survive.

"Yes, father," Keith spoke. "I will find someone to accompany me." Yes! He'd done it. He had not only beaten Lotor at something, but given himself the chance to get away from the Castle, and also he may be able to save Lance's skin. You can't fire someone if they are not present. 

The look on Lotor's face was rewarding enough, but it would be even better when he defeated those intruders and made his father proud, for the first time in his life.   
Maybe.. Maybe he could even get out of marrying Lotor. 

Even besides the fact that he wanted to save Lance, he would still have chosen that boy to come with him. Lance was the obvious choice. He was the best hunter in the Castle, had great tracking skills, and could fight long distance where Keith only knew short range combat.

The king nodded once more, and told him to prepare as soon as he could before continuing the dinner with the queen. The smoke pouring out of Lotor's head could almost be sensed in the air.   
How had that gone so wrong? ...Anyways, it didn't really matter. He'd always been the favourite, and nothing could ever change that. A single act of bravery wouldn't wash away years of failure, he thought. 

Not long after they finished eating, and the waiters and workers did their usual procedure of taking the dishes, bowing and leaving, except the hunter wasn't able to raise his gaze to the royals. 

He left the room as soon as he could, ignoring his friend's words on his way out. If he was to be fired he preferred to try and die, than dishonoring his family, he'd decided. Therefore if the next meal was tomorrow, he should inspect the ground that same night. Bears were more likely to be found at night. 

He walked through the thick layer of snow and headed to the mews, trying not to think too much on what would happen to him if he wasn't strong enough. Don't think, just act. Just do what you were told. Just do it.

Keith was just staring into the cold night from his balcony, like he often did, when he saw a small figure way below him make his way through the snow. Wait, was that... God, he was gonna hunt. No, he couldn't die yet. 

Keith didn't even take the time to grab a cloak before dashing down the stairs and forcing his way past the guards. They couldn't refuse him, of course. He was the Prince. He ran through the thick snow, until he saw Lance in the distance. 

"Oi! Hunter!" he yelled, panting loudly. He was pretty sure it was Lance. It would be awkward if it wasn't. What would he even say? 'I can't let you get killed because you're cute and fuck Lotor'? Yeah, that would be great.   
No, he would just ask him for help with preparing, and invite him to join him on his quest into the forest tomorrow. His father had ordered him to leave early the next day. It was no use waiting anyway.

The tanned hunter was just about to enter the mews when a voice made him turn around, and he wouldn't have been able to expect who it belonged to.   
Why was the prince running towards him? Had he done something wrong? Was this about the issue on the table or the incident from last day? Whatever, couldn't be worse than being sent to die. 

"Your majesty," he greeted him when he was close enough, bowing down and realizing he didn't have any proper winter coat on. What a fool. "You're gonna catch a cold, I suggest you to enter."   
Whatever he had to say to him could be done inside, he thought, opening the doors of the mews for him. The chirping of the hawks could already be heard from the highest places in the tower.

Keith entered, straightening his back and trying to regain some of his dignity, while starting to shiver a little. He waited till Lance had entered and closed the door behind him before speaking 

"You will accompany on my quest tomorrow. Take tonight off to get ready. It will most likely take a few days or weeks. We leave at dawn." Okay. He had handled that well.   
But something stopped him from leaving. 

Should he give Lance the chance to respond, to ask questions? Maybe. The insecurity held him nailed to the spot. He didn't want to be rude, but he was still the Prince. His hands closed around each other behind his back. 

Shit, why did Lance look so cute in this half moonlight coming in through a high window? Totally unfair.   
Keith couldn't help but get lost in those dazzling eyes yet again. Luckily, they were alone. No one could see Keith's lovestrucken stare. Except of course Lance. Shit, he was being way too obvious.

Lance tried to cover the surprise from his face, going back to his words over and over in case he'd missed something. 

He out of all guards, soldiers and knights was being asked by the prince to accompany him on his wood's quest? Why him, and not his best friend Shiro, for example?   
...Okay, maybe Shiro couldn't take all those days off due to his high rank duties, but what about literally anyone else? 

Take a few days or even weeks. He didn't have time for that, his mother had just come back to him and he didn't know for how long she'd be here, he wanted to spend every second they had left with her.  
But... He couldn't do that, if he was dead. 

Because that was the most possible outcome, if he declined and was forced to please Prince Douche's spoiled wishes with his life. Even if he didn't exactly love the idea, it was a safe way out, although he wasn't sure spending all that time with the prince would be a good idea.   
Literally everything could go down, he could discover his identity - if he hadn't already - or hate him even more... Right, because: 

"...I thought you hated me," he murmured. It did look like the prince despised him completely yesterday, both the hunter and the thief, but now? Now his indigo eyes looked at him with care, even desire, as if he was a completely different person. Certainly such soft expression looked better on him, and it was directed to him. 

He felt his cheeks turning red and forced himself to take his eyes off such handsome-- stop. You hate royalty. You should, for everything they've done. 

"I wouldn't want to make the trip uncomfortable for you in any way, your highness. I'm sure... I'm sure you would be better in hands of other soldier." He placed a hand on his nape, remembering how utterly disgusted the prince looked like each time they got close or had physical contact.

Keith raised his head a little. "I carry no hate for you." The Prince should have no emotion at all regarding one of his servants. Why did Lance think he hated him? 

"You are the best option for this journey. You know how to track, no?" He didn't wait for confirmation but turned back to the door. "I must get ready for tomorrow. I expect you at my quarters at eight in the morning, having eaten and prepared. I don't tolerate lateness."   
He was nailing this strictness his father always encouraged. 

"Spend the night with your family, say your goodbyes. It may be dangerous, what we are to do." He gave one small nod and then opened the door and walked out. That had gone well. 

He couldn't wait to get out of here with Lance. They could get to know each other, maybe even touch. God, what was he thinking? Lance would probably be disgusted with him. The boy didn't even like him, and for good reason.   
He would have to listen to everything Keith said, but Keith would never do anything to make him uncomfortable. This might be hard. Just don't get too distracted by his beauty to fail your mission, Keith.

Lance watched the prince close the door, his feet glued to the ground. Fantastic, just fantastic. He could die on this trip. Well shit ok then, guess he'll die, because he had no word on this matter despite his life being endangered, right? Working on the farm didn't look so bad now. Freaking prince.

...At least he didn't seem to hate him, as he'd thought. He wondered why not, he had plenty of reasons to.  
And he'd called him the best option.

A tad troubled - and flustered -, he took Blue and headed to the village. At his quarters, he'd said? The royal quarters? Not that he hadn't been into his room twice now, but still having a formal invitation to the door was... Weird. Weird, Lance, nothing else. No other emotions implicated. 

He'd also remembered he had a tendency to be late, not that the prince was very different though. 

As he was suggested, he explained the task he'd been told to participate in to his family, and as expected most of them cried. Not him, he couldn't. He would return, safe and sound, with the prince and everyone else's heads as he heard earlier that day in the room where it happened. 

He would return... to share one more day with his mother under the sun.

Keith hurried back into the castle and up to his room, shivering violently. Maybe he should have brought a cloak. Maybe. 

He changed into his pyjamas and drew at his desk until late in the night. He should probably get to sleep soon. Tomorrow would be a busy day. Hopefully, it would be easy, or even fun with Lance. No matter what happened, he'd get to spend a few days looking at that absolute dazzling beauty. 

Eventually he pushed his sketchbook away and got ready for bed. His blankets were heavy and warm, and drove the freezing cold in his room back, which remained even after he'd closed the doors to the balcony. 

Tomorrow would be a new day. Hopefully, a better day. Oh, he'd be able to sit by the fire with Lance, talk to him, maybe. They'd sleep in separate tents of course, he was still the Prince. But they'd ride together, they'd search together. It would be great.   
And with that thought, he fell into a deep sleep.


	10. My First Day As A Forest Ranger

The next morning he woke up early, as he always did. His father nearly always worked in the morning before he went down to get breakfast, which allowed Keith to sneak into the hall and get food without meeting the King so early. 

After breakfast, he took a bath, and quickly packed the things he needed from his own room. A servant would get him stuff for camping, and Hunk would make him a big package of food for the road. Most of their diet would consist of whatever Lance caught, though, since fresh meat went bad way too fast to take it with them. 

And so at half past seven he was completely done packing, and waited for Lance to come to him.

Sun hit the humble house of the McClains, where breakfast was already being served, and after saying goodbye one more time to his family the hunter left with the basics packed on his satchel.   
What filled his haversack the most were a few change clothes, everything else the forest would provide like it always did.  
And a small brush, because who would Lance be, if he didn't take care of his appearance.

Having left a few things on his brown and white spotted horse Kaltenecker, he headed inside the castle and made his way thought the long corridors, getting weird stares from the maids cleaning the place. Usually a hunter his rank would never be allowed to walk through such exclusive palace halls, and yet there he was. 

He lowkey hoped what the prince said last night was true, that he was the right man for this job. Those indigo eyes deeply staring at him and making his heart stop still haunted him.   
He sighed deeply to get rid of those rather inappropiate thoughts and knocked on the room he'd visited not so long ago. He was right on time.

Keith opened the door after less then two seconds, and had to suppress a smile at what he saw in front of his door. 

God, he was beautiful. His smooth, tan skin. His defined, sharp face. His fit, hot body. But most importantly, those eyes. Those damn eyes. 

Keith shook his head to get his mind straight (ha), and grabbed his bag from beside the door, in which he had also hidden his sketchbook. Lance couldn't see that. It had way too many drawings of him. 

"Good. You're on time." He swung his bag over his shoulder and closed the door behind him.   
"Follow me. Do you have your own horse?" he asked, not looking behind him. He couldn't look behind him. The only thing keeping him from freezing completely was nót looking at Lance's face for longer than he had to. Don't look at him. He will think you're weird.

"I do, your highness," the hunter replied, walking behind him as he was told. The prince looked radiant today, for some reason he couldn't decipher. It couldn't be because of him, although if it was any other person he'd probably made a joke about that already. 'Dazzled by my matinal beauty, your excellency?', or something like that. 

Too bad it was the prince we were talking about, who had power enough to send him to jail with a snap of his fingers. 

This sure would be a tough trip. He had to be very careful each time he spoke to him, always with exaggerated submission and respect. That wasn't him. 

"She's the fastest of the hunting party, and has great resilience." It won't be a problem to keep up, was what he really wanted to say.

Goddamn. Even his voice was perfect. It was so smooth, and joyful, and kind of sexy. How dare he? Keith could just imagine that voice telling him to- Wait. No. Stop your dirty mind immediately, Keith. 

God, you can't even let him touch you without screaming out in pain. Don't be stupid. Just because he wanted Lance to touch him didn't mean he wanted Lance to tóuch him.   
Damn, this was gonna be complicated. You fool, it didn't matter. Lance would never do such a thing. He obviously hated royalty, and even more so if he really was that thief. 

"Good," he spoke when he heard of Lance's horse. "I won't wait for you, but I need you to track for me." Not that he could do anything without Lance. He had never payed much attention in the boring parts of his classes, such as tracking and map reading. He had people for those things anyway, why would he need to know? 

They got to the stables quickly, and Keith ordered someone to saddle his horse. He would have done it himself, but it was way too early for that, and it was way more fun to look at Lance from across the stable.

The hunter couldn't help rolling his eyes at his command. 'I'm too high on society to wait for a peasant like you but I still need you to track because that's how skilled I am in the woods.' He'd basically said. God, why did his words have to be so egocentric and cold when his soft expression said otherwise? It was confusing. 

Before they got to the stables he'd already taken his mare there, and without looking at Prince Too Cool For School, he saddled Kaltenecker, gave her the usual matinal petting and climbed onto his seat.   
He checked the bags were tied and secured, and looked at his horse's tiny braids between the loose blond hair in the meantime. 

He loved Kaltenecker. A man on the market had randombly given her to him for free along the things he'd bought, and he'd been the one raising her and training her all these years. He was, indeed, very fond of animals. 

He caught the Prince waiting next to his horse with the corner of his eye and an idea hit him. Yorak probably didn't remember where they'd been attacked, so... "I'll lead the route, then, since you need me to track," he said with a smirk, wasting no time on grabbing the reins and making Kaltenecker dash out of the exit at full speed. Vengeance, pretty prince. Catch up.

Keith mouth almost fell open. How dare he? This was payback, definitely, for what Keith had done last time. Luckily, the servant just secured his saddle, and Keith jumped on as quickly as he could. 

He urged Kosmo to run out of the stables, not taking a moment to slow down, and sped after Lance, who had almost disappeared between the trees. Asshole. Still cute, though. 

It took him five full minutes to catch up, and he growled at Lance, though he wasn't really angry. "Hey, it might be better to actually let me keep up with you, hunter boy." He could of course use Lance's name, but he didn't feel like it. His father always preferred to call servants by their jobs. It was useless to remember their names, he always said. 

But Keith couldn't get that beautiful name out of his mind. Lance. Almost as gorgeous as the eyes belonging to that name.

Lance would've acted otherwise if the prince had been mad at him, but he clearly wasn't. In fact, what was that? He could almost sense traces of kindness in his sharp tongue, now round and even. 

A soft giggle escaped his lips, which shaped into a joyful smile as he slowed down his horse. "Sorry, your highness. I didn't mean to," he spoke playfully. He totally meant to. 

He looked up at the faint light making it's way through the perennial treetops and their thick, winter resistant leaves, and sighed. He could see the hot oxygen being held in his lungs now in the open in the form of white steam, despite the morning not being that cold. The ground was both covered by snow and patches of grass, a nice temperature - for him, at least -. The soft noises of roaming animals was comforting, so everything felt suddenly okay. He even felt okay with the prince being next to him, being a prince in all his grace. 

"Have you ever been in the woods, prince Yorak?" He asked, turning to see him once again. It'd be good to know how skilled he was if they would spend so much time together in the open.

Keith cringed at that name. Yorak. It felt like a stab in his guts every time he heard it. They knew how much it hurt, his father and Lotor and the rest of the royals. Lance didn't. He couldn't blame him. 

But it hurt even more coming someone so innocent, someone so kind. "It's Keith," Keith said harshly. "Prince Keith. Don't call me that.. that name." 

His smile had vanished. His legs clenched shortly around Kosmo and he sped up until Lance couldn't see his face anymore. "And I have been in the woods, though not quite as often as you I presume." His voice had grown colder, nearly as cold as the frozen air.   
He pulled his cloak tighter around him, but the frost nipped at his fingers beneath his thick gloves and neck above his coat. Luckily, it would get warmer soon. Spring was almost here. The layer of snow had already grown thinner, and he'd seen some of the birds return earlier.   
Daibazaal was usually quite hot in summer, even though the winters were harsher than nearly all other kingdoms. It was a land of extremes. Just like it's citizens. 

He took a deep breath. It was way too early to get grumpy with Lance. This was gonna be a fun trip. They would bond.

The hunter gulped with difficulty. Had he screwed up again? But how? Everyone called him Yorak... Unless they did it on purpose. Of course. He should've known. 

He rode to his side but kept his eyes on the path to give him space. "I apologize, my prince, I didn't know. I like Keith better, too," he commented with a kind and honest smile. Keith really did suit him, better than Yorak, at least. It wasn't a bad name but it just... didn't feel like him. 

He wanted to make this work. If they would spend so much time together it was essencial to get along. He really wished... he knew how to make him smile, like he'd seen Commander Shiro do. They really seemed... close. 

He looked down at Kalt and then back at him. "By the way... Thank you, for chosing me on this trip. If you hadn't I'd probably be the bear's food right now." He laughed slightly, although he knew his words weren't far from the truth.   
He knew Keith had chosen him because of his skills, but still... A part of him wanted to believe it was due to something else.

'That's exactly why I chose you,' Keith wanted to say. But he didn't. It would be inappropriate to show that he cared about certain servants more than was allowed. What would father do? He would never have cared in the first place. 

"It's no problem to me," he said instead. "You are quite apt at hunting, I have noticed. I have enjoyed the meat you bring us every day." Shit, this was getting way too personal. Lance already knew too much about him. The boy had seen his bare body. The boy had seen him cry. 

God, maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe he should have chosen someone he had absolutely no feelings for. But it wasn't the end of the world to compliment someone, right? No, normal people did that too. 

He slowed down a little, glad that Lance was accepting his name. He couldn't bare to hear 'Yorak' from those gorgeous lips one more time. He turned slightly sideways to the boy. "You're the hunter, where should we start looking?"

Lance was so caught up on his first-- what was that, a compliment from royalty? That he chose to answer that first. "Thank you, you have no idea how good it feels someone appreciates my hard work," he said with transparent joy, suddenly feeling motivated to keep hunting the finest meals in the kingdom if they were meant for the prince, who hadn't only recognized his work but praised his skills and efforts. 

"About the mission, look up." He slowed down his horse until a full stop, pointing at a branch where the cut net still hanged from. "This is the exact place we got caught."   
They'd already passed the place Lance found the prince crying, and for obvious reasons he'd decided not to bring it up. 

"The bushes there are ruffled, probably due to running horses jumping over them at full speed. That's also the direction the voices were coming from, but assuming they heard you yell when the net got us and the time they took to arrive, I'd say their camp should be deeper into the woods, in that direction." He pointed and clenched his legs on Kalt, making her walk again.   
"It should take us a while with this speed, but it's better this way to avoid getting... unwanted attention. From both animals and people."

Keith nodded silently and followed Lance. It was fascinating, watching him work. The way he could get all this out of such little information... Keith could barely suppress a smile. Lance was so fucking talented. 

Maybe it was bad that he hoped this trip would take a while. They needed to capture or kill the intruders as quickly as possible, and Lance had a family to go home to. 

And yet Keith didn't want to go back to the castle. It was calm here. Lance made him feel good. It was selfish, he knew, but that didn't stop him from wanting. 

Kosmo moved beneath him, but he barely had to focus on riding. He had always been a great rider, even though his father disagreed.   
The king was of the opinion that the rider should control the horse, rather than work with it. That was probably their biggest difference, that King Zarkon saw everyone else as 'beneath him'. Keith didn't.   
Sure, he had more status and power than most others, but he definitely wasn't better than anyone else. 

Lance. Lance was way better than him. He could actually do things. Keith would never be able to track people like this, or be this nice, or care about his family... Well, it didn't matter. He rode silently beside Lance, glancing at his beautiful features every so often.

The morning was spent by Lance following the tracks, and all the time he could feel the prince's gaze on his back. He didn't dare to look back though. What if he was testing him, questioning him? It made him slightly tense, the feeling that he might do something wrong again and the prince would tell him off. 

However, the prince didn't seem like the type of lowering servants to the point they would shake, unlike his father. Every time he thought about that man he'd cringe. 

The sun was high on the sky by the time they reached a bunch of messed up landscape; trees taken down, their wood used to build a tall barrier and thorns were placed around it. He automatically told the prince to stay there and hopped off his horse, getting chills of danger all over his body. 

Since walking in through the entrance would be basically suicide, he chose a tall tree and started climbing to get a better look. He'd loved climbing since he was a child and played hide and seek with his siblings, it came out easy now. He could even climb the rocky patch of the castle. 

After avoiding weak branches and making his way to the top, he viewed the inside of the hideout, and his eyes widened.  
He carefully climbed back down, less tense than before and approached his horse next to the prince to give him his report. 

"They're gone." He stated. "Maybe they expected us to come... It's totally empty." They'd had two days to move their camp somewhere else, but how did they know they would come? Maybe a spy on the inside? Anyways, "We should inspect the ground on the inside just in case." He took Kalt's reins to start walking around the fence in search of an entrance.

Keith hesitated, and then slipped off his horse too before following Lance around the fence.   
This was definitely a long term camp. Something like this wasn't built in a day. 

At the other side of the enclosure was a large opening, easy to defend but big enough to make a quick getaway. And that they had done. 

Keith led Kosmo inside and immediately saw signs of a hurried escape. The fire had been extinguished with a bucket of sand which lay abandoned on the floor, the doors of several huts stood open, and the ground was littered with daily items like pots and plates. A makeshift stable stood in one corner, big enough to house seven or eight horses. 

These people obviously hadn't cared about leaving things behind, more about not getting caught. They had expected people to find their hideout, no matter how much they tried to hide it. So they hadn't bothered. The Prince turned to Lance.   
"Okay, what do you see?"

Lance shifted his eyes from the prince to their surroundings. He'd noticed Keith making a brief terrain recognition so he decided not to point out the obvious, and kneeled to have a better view from the ground. 

He spend a moment checking everywhere; under the sheets, objects, inside the single cabins and tents, in search of signs of activity, before turning to the prince once again. 

"The group is large, consisting of men and women between late teens and adults, no kids thankfully. They obviously left in a hurry... And the rests of ashes and halfway cooked meals indicate they left yesterday, perhaps even at night." 

He approached him while taking glances of the empty clearing, stopping when he was a few feet away from him. "I... I think we could have a spy in the castle, your highness," he murmured quietly, his words uneasy. "But it's too early to make assumptions. Thing is, they're fully armed, and the trails of several cannons go deep into the forest that way, northwest, beyond the limits of your lands." He pointed to the direction from the back entrance.   
Off limits, in the wild and merciless lands of mother nature. 

"Assuming they left yesterday they could be very far away now. Seems like this trip will take longer than expected. I hope that's not an issue."

Keith bit his lip and shook his head. Lance's skills were impressive, that was for sure. The group was obviously made up of warriors, people who knew how to fight. It wasn't just some nomad tribe making their way their forest. A big group. 

Could Lance and he take them on their own? Maybe, if they had the element of surprise and a really good plan. 

"Can you estimate the number they're travelling with?" Keith asked, not looking at the hunter. There was a big difference between twenty or fourty warriors, and Keith honestly couldn't tell by looking at their camp. 

And then Lance's last words hit him. Longer than expected. That didn't sound bad, not at all. He felt a little bad for hoping it would take long. Lance wanted to return to his family, needed to return to his family. 

A spy in the Castle was very worrying news. His father trusted his staff, but they were checked thoroughly. Any spy would need to have been there for a long time.   
It was of course widely known that Keith would be going after the intruders, but only since yesterday. Which meant someone had left the Castle, rode through the forest and warned these people so they could get away in time, or had contacted them in some other way. Interesting. He would help his father root out the spy once they got back.

The hunter scratched his nape thoughtfully and kneeled down to analize the different footprints once again. It was very hard to tell from that - since, you know, people usually had more than one pair of shoes -, but memorizing and telling apart the ones that did matter, the ones heading out the back entrance told him many things.   
That, plus the number of huts and items like plates, was enough to make an assumption. 

"I'd say between twenty and twenty six, your highness," he announced after walking back to him. "And... About the spy, they don't exactly have to leave the castle, your majesty. He could've sent the message with a hawk, for example, so... Maybe he's still in the palace."   
It was him who knew better than anyone how quick messages could be shared by air, and the thought of a traitor still lingering inside the castle walls made him slightly anxious. "...Should... Should we continue?"

Keith thought for a while and nodded. It was difficult to focus on the mission when Lance looked so cute observing this place.   
But he quickly shook his head to get rid of that though, and hummed. "Yes. You're right, of course." It felt weird, saying someone else was right. His father wouldn't have permitted him to speak like that to anyone below him. But Lance wasn't below him. Lance was amazing. 

"And yes, I think we should continue. Let's ride until nightfall and then make up camp. I have brought plenty of food for tonight. You will need to hunt something for tomorrow."   
He threw one more glance over the place before setting his foot in the stirrup and swinging his leg over Kosmo. 

It felt safer to be on top of the horse. More familiar. He could get out of here anytime now.   
The whole place gave him the feeling of being watched, even though it made no sense. They had left yesterday. And about the spy, he didn't need to contact his father quite yet. He couldn't if he wanted to, unless they rode back to the castle. As long as the mysterious person didn't know Keith was onto them, they wouldn't do anything. That could be handled later.   
"Come on," he told Lance, before riding out of the encampment.

Lance longed for the day the prince would actually wait for him, getting on Kaltenecker and riding to approach him afterwards. He threw one more glance back at the hideout before checking the tracks once again and stating a direction, which they followed all afternoon, most of it in an intriguing silence, although not at all uncomfortable. 

It was weird, how nice he could feel next to the prince, but he decided not to think about it too much and focus on the mission. Prince Keith had ordered him to ride and so he would.

And by nightfall he was starving, but of course he kept it to himself. They slowed down near the river where a fallen tree conveniently layed down, tied the horses to it, and Lance gathered wood to make a fire, inspectioning the terrain in the meantime to make sure no dangerous animals wandered around the place.

Keith made sure to ride a little behind Lance. This way, he could stare at the boy without being noticed. Sure, it was rude to stare, but Keith had his needs. And the way Lance's body moved in the saddle at each step of his horse... God, he was beautiful. 

Too bad Lance saw him as a spoiled little Prince. Maybe he was. 

He tried to keep his stomach down but by the time the sun set it was growling loudly. A while later, they found a good spot to sleep. 

Keith's tent was barely big enough for him to sit in, but as a Prince he couldn't sleep out in the open. It was a matter of status more than security or shame. 

He debated having Lance set it up for him, but decided against it. He had every right to as a Prince but Lance was already gathering firewood, and the hunter would take on most tasks throughout their journey, so Keith could do this himself. Or so he had thought. 

It was harder than it seemed, folding the wooden sticks properly and stretching the dark canvas over it. After a lot of struggling and cursing, he finally succeeded. That was better.   
He fumbled through his bags until he found the package from Hunk, and then sat down on the fallen tree to divide the food between two plates. It was no castle meal, but it wasn't that bad. Some ham, freshly baked bread from this morning, and a few sweet dates. He started eating while waiting for Lance to get back.

The hunter didn't take too long to arrive where the prince waited for him with all the required materials. 

In front of him, he knelt down and built a teepee shape around the tinder nest with with lots of timber in the middle and larger sticks around the sides, to help the fire to establish and grow. 'Leave plenty of space so that air can pass through it and feed the flame.' He remembered his brother's words the first time they went hunting, while lighting the first spark with a stick against the kindling.   
Like usual, the fire didn't take long to grow, and he kept it fueled with a few larger pieces of firewood before finally sitting next to the prince. 

Not too close tho, just mantaining the right, respectable distance between them. A primal instinct urged him to sit close, even cuddle with him to share warmth, but the memory of him desperately trying not to make physical contact with him glued him to his side of the fallen tree. He would never get close until the prince ordered him to. 

He glanced at the tent he'd successfully built. Good, one thing he wouldn't need to do as well. He took the plate the prince had also prepared for him with slight surprise, and the delicious scent coming from it made his stomach growl. 

"Thank you, your highness." 'For thinking of me,' he thought before trying the ham, the familiar taste instantly making him smile. "This is Hunk's, right?" It had to be. He knew his best friend's cooking like the back of his hand.

Keith finally looked up at him and nodded shortly. "Yes, I asked him to prepare some food for my journey. Our journey." He bit his lip and looked back down. 

He'd done something right. Lance appreciated that Keith had gotten him dinner. Good. But how to get closer without actually getting closer? Even with the few feet between them Keith could feel his proximity, hotter than the growing fire. And even though Lance's closeness felt like burns, it didn't warm him at all. 

He quickly finished his meal and stared into the fire. The way it flickered, it reminded him of his father. Aggressive and violent, but also ordered and powerful. His father could burn down forests, cities, kingdoms. 

And Keith, he was more like a single candle. Barely powerful enough to cast light over those closest to him. 

His posture remained straight as ever, not daring to lean forward onto his knees in fear of the imaginary correcting hit from his father, deeply ingrained in his memory. His posture was the one thing that he'd rarely done wrong from a young age, since it was one of the first things his father had taught him. Stand up straight. Sit up straight. Look people in the eye. That was a lot of help now, in the middle of the forest while his toes were freezing off and the only person there was disgusted by him. Great. This was gonna be difficult.

Lance glanced at the prince, caught him right when he was biting his lip, and his heart stopped; he'd lie if he said he hadn't noticed how beautiful he was before, years back, when the king took his teenager son to make the annual riding exhibition. 

He happened to be in the market that day, and he'd crossed looks with the marvelous snow white boy on the black horse. He remembered he'd been absolutely smitten. 

He wondered if the prince remembered, probably not, but at the firelight the contrast of his dark hair and pale skin, sharp features, glimmering eyes... Utterly beautiful.

But he didn't look happy, and for some reason that pained his heart. How could he make him smile like he'd seen the commander do? He couldn't flirt like he'd been doing with Romelle, because he was the prince. He should approach him otherwise then, he thought, while finishing his meal. 

He saved a piece of ham and cupped his hands on his mouth, proceeding to make an animal-like code call. After a few seconds of the prince staring at him intriguingly, a blue dash descended from the night sky in the form of a beautiful peregrine falcon. The hunter extended his arm in a suitable perching surface - which was covered by a gauntlet that extended to his elbow - and the majestic creature gracefully landed on it. 

"Hey pretty girl," he greeted the falcon kindly, recieving a nuzzle on his cheek from her part. He fed her the remaining ham and turned to the prince. "This is Blue, my hunting companion. Blue, this is prince Keith, say hi." 

The big bird chirped quietly to him, motioning with her wings. He closed the bird between them. "She wants you to pet her," he said casually, both animal and hunter looking at Keith with high hopes. It was a nice approach, to get closer to someone by the pet medium.

Keith as confused at first, when Lance made a sharp whistling noise, and then scared back as something came swooping down. It was a bird. She chirped and stepped from side to side on Lance's arm, and she looked absolutely beautiful. 

Keith looked from the bird to Lance, his eyes wide, and then hesitantly reached out his arm. The tiny, white feathers below the majestic creature's head felt incredibly soft on Keith's ungloved hand, and his breath hitched. 

"She's beautiful," he whispered. He was a bit scared of course, that sharp beak looking as if it could rip Keith's fingers off if he pissed her off, but she allowed him to softly pet her neck. A soft smile came onto his face, and he looked at Lance. 

"How did you find her? How did you train her?" Even though this hawk looked like a queen, she was Lance's pet. A pet. 

Keith had never had one. His father didn't want him to grow weak and soft by taking care of a defenseless animal. Horses were okay, since you needed to stand your ground with them, even though Keith's techniques differed a lot from his father's. But Keith had always wanted a dog, or a cat maybe. Lotor had one. 

Wait, Keith hád had a pet once. A tiny mouse he'd found in the stables and kept in his room for two whole weeks without anyone finding out. Six year old Keith had done something, he couldn't remember what, but it had pissed off his father. He'd crushed the tiny creature under his boot without a second thought, and slapped Keith across the face when he'd cried. His face fell a little. There were every little memories of his youth that brought him joy. 

"In the woods," he hurried to tell when he noticed the prince's smile fading away. It was too pretty to disappear.   
"Four years ago while hunting for my family I found her as a tiny pug injured on the ground. She must've had a nasty fight with another of her kind, because she couldn't even fly. Luckily my sister Veronica knows a lot about healing, and in a few weeks she was as good as new." 

A few scars on her right wing and one across her right eye were still clearly visible, but she could fly and attack just like any other falcon. "During those weeks Shiro helped me to train her, from blindfolding her and carrying her on my arm for several days so she got accustomed to human presence to locating me and hunting. I guess over the years we developed mutual trust, signals and noises of our own, and even a bond. I don't know where I would be today if it wasn't for her," he cooed with a fond smile, gently ruffling her chest feathers. 

"She likes you back, by the way. She's usually very wary of strangers and even hostile. Perhaps she saw something in you..." He directed his blue eyes to the prince, dedicating him a honest, kind-hearted smile. "That deep down, you're a nice person."

A nice person. Keith shouldn't care about being nice. He was a Prince, how nice he was didn't influence his ability to rule in any way. 

And yet.. Something in Lance's voice was just so calming. If this boy thought that he was nice, somewhere deep inside, it would be alright. Keith wasn't sure what would be alright. 

He was way too distracted by that beautiful smile, and especially those gorgeous eyes. He got lost in them for a moment. "I'm.." he began, but he wasn't sure what to say. 

He couldn't thank Lance, because it didn't matter if he was nice. It wasn't a compliment. He couldn't get angry at Lance, because the boy hadn't insulted him. 

"I see," he eventually finished. God, he sounded pathetic. All his common sense seemed to have been sucked out of him by those eyes, and he forced himself to turn around, get up. "We should keep watch at night, right?" he asked, not looking at Lance. 

Normally they travelled in bigger groups and the guards would stand watch outside his tent all night. But now.. He couldn't order Lance to do such a thing. The boy needed sleep, just as he did. But he also couldn't really suggest to keep watch over Lance's sleeping body. That wasn't fitting to his status. Shit. This was hard. 

He didn't want to go to sleep yet. He wanted to stay here by the fire with Lance, listening to him talk all night. There were very few things as calming as that voice, and Keith would love to get to know him better. As long as he didn't have to talk himself, he would be fine. 

But both of them needed their sleep. This was gonna be a dangerous mission, and they needed all the rest they could get. Besides, how would he even ask for such a thing? 'Hey Lance, I'm lonely, can you read me a bedtime story'? That was ridiculous. 

He took a large gulp of water from his flask, and secured Kosmo's rope again.

'We.' The word the prince had choosed to use got him, and made Lance think perhaps he wasn't the overly spoiled prince he thought he could be. He'd even made his own tent, he actually did things.   
Plus, he trusted Blue's judgement more than his own, and if she liked Keith then why the hell shouldn't he as well? If there really was a kind man beneath all those layers of pretending, coldness and royalty, hell of he'd like to find it. 

"Thanks for offering, your highness, but Blue and I got it covered." The female falcon wasn't there due to her pretty feathers, she was a war bird, trained to alert them about any possible dangers beforehand. Lance could tell her to make shifts with him and she'd understand. 

Plus... It's not that the hunter doesn't trust the prince standing watch, but he didn't trust anyone - besides his family - watching over him while he slept. He couldn't sleep knowing there was someone there. 

"So no worries, you can go rest. I'll watch." He took one more larger piece of firewood and placed it in the flame, turning to the prince once again, with a smile. " Sleep well, prince Keith."

Keith hesitated for a moment. Did he really trust a bird with his safety? Yes. If Lance said she could protect them, he would believe it. 

And then he hesitated a little more. He didn't want to go to bed yet. He wanted to stay up with Lance. But alas, that would be weird. He gave Lance a small nod, turned around and crawled into his tent, as graceful as possible. It wasn't very graceful. 

He pulled the flaps shut behind him and slipped out of his vest and boots and into the blankets. God, it was cold. It took him about ten minutes to stop shaking. Then, he closed his eyes. Just before he fell asleep, two soft words came from his tent. 

"Goodnight, Lance," he spoke. And then, he fell asleep, deep in thought about everything that was happening. The intruders. The spy. The thief. Lotor. Father. Lance.. 

His dream seemed to be filled with that particular colour blue. It was beautiful. And then it was tainted, thick streams of blood red flowed over, taking all the blue away. Keith groaned in his sleep, but remained quiet otherwise. He could handle nightmares. 

He clenched his eyes shut and rolled over, twisted in his own blankets. But he was safe here. Lance was watching over him, and his father was far away. He would be okay. Just as Shiro had said.

Watching how the prince disappeared inside the tent, the hunter couldn't help but wonder if all those graceful movements and stances were at all necessary. No one else would see him there in the woods, besides him of course, and he wouldn't judge. 

He knew since the day he caught him crying that, unlike his monster-like father, Keith was just as human and fragile as anyone else. However, was Keith aware of that? 

He stared at the fire a few more minutes until he heard the prince wishing him good night, for some reason like ten minutes later. Perhaps he'd said it while sleeping. Of course, there was no way he'd say it fully concious. 

He walked around the place, carved a bear in one of the larger firewood sticks, hit his forehead against a tree, everything to keep himself awake until midnight.   
The most interesting thing was a raccoon trying to make it's way inside the prince's tent, which he brushed off with ease. Then he climbed on a tree and leaned his back against it, having sat on a thick branch. His insecurity didn't allow him to sleep anywhere near the floor. 

The blue predator sleeping a few branches up woke from her sleep at the movement. 

"Haz guardia, bonita?" Lance asked her, recieving a short sharp noise in response. He saw her flapping her wings and heading to fly around the place before his eyes closed on their own, eventually leading him to a dreamless sleep.


	11. The Two Most Oblivious Dudes In The Galaxy

No sooner had he fallen asleep, then he was awoken by the faintest light on the horizon hitting his face, and knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep again, he grumbled all the way down to the ground. 

He looked up at the blue daze still flying over them and headed into the forest.   
A few minutes later he came back with not-poisonous and very healthy raspberries, placed them on slices of bread and left them on plates on the tree trunk. 

The sun was slowly rising, so he decided - since the prince was still sleeping - he'd take a bath in the river next to them. After leaving his clothes near the river bank, he sunk into the freezing - but managable - water, rubbing the soap all over his body and on his back, where a huge abstract, permanent scar lingered in.

Keith woke up in the early morning as the sun penetrated the thin canvas of his tent. He squeezed his eyes shut against the bright light, yawned, and sat up. The hard forest floor was definitely less comfortable than his own bed, but it wasn't too bad. 

He yawned again and tried to brush down his hair, make himself at least the slightest bit presentable before pulling on his shoes and crawling out of his tent. Luckily, Lance hadn't seen that.   
Where was the boy anyway? Had something happened to him? 

Keith as just starting to panic a little when the splashing of water behind him made him turn around. 

Oh god.   
He was shirtless. He was naked. Keith desperately tried to turn back around, but to no avail. 

Lance's body was.. enchanting. So muscular and tan and smooth and tall, a large scar cut across his back, but it didn't make him any less gorgeous.   
He was lucky Lance's lower half was covered by the wild water, because he couldn't have handled seeing that. 

His eyes finally managed to rip loose from the hunter and he turned around, flushing bright red. Don't look. Hopefully Lance hadn't seen that. God, that would be embarrassing. The crown Prince staring at the naked body of one of his servants? Definitely nót appropriate. 

He sat down on the fallen tree and noticed Lance had made him breakfast. Good. He grabbed one of the plates and ate. The fresh sweetness of some sort of berry engulved his senses and he hummed softly.   
Just don't look around until Lance is dressed again. Don't. No matter how big the temptation...

By the time the tanned boy had washed and dried his body he was trembling violently. God, that water was cold, yet very refreshing. He dressed quickly when he noticed the prince was already awake and having breakfast, and walked to him still trying to dry his hair. 

"Good morning, your highness. Didn't expect you to get up so early," he said truthfully and saved the soap and towel on his bag before sitting next to him, slightly closer than the night before but still keeping a conservative distance. He took his breakfast and started eating, glancing at the prince sideways with concern. 

"Are you okay? You're red." He pointed out with a raised eyebrow, oblivious of Keith's previous peeking. Perhaps too much sun, or a fever? It could be a cold caught in the cold night, as well.

Oh shit. Lance's comment just made his cheeks flush even redder, but he turned his face away. At least Lance hadn't seen him staring. "I'm fine," he snapped, a little harsher than he'd meant. 

God, Lance was close. It made him nervous. The last bite of his breakfast disappeared into his mouth and he swallowed. "I always get up early," he spoke coldly. "It is a habit of mine. I assume nothing happened during the night?" 

He took a large gulp of water, and then handed his flask to Lance. "Fetch some new water from the river for me."   
Wait, did Lance mind being ordered? He hoped not. Keith liked doing things himself, but he was still royalty. He could order Lance to do anything, technically. Getting water wasn't unreasonable. It would be weird for Keith to do that himself, unprince-like. 

He looked back into those beautiful, blue eyes and his cheeks reddened even more, images of Lance's naked body threatening to overwhelm him. Keith hadn't seen a lot of bodies besides his own, and definitely not as gorgeous as Lance's. 

He took a deep breath and tore his eyes away again, afraid to get lost in the deep ocean before him, but still extending his flask.

'Go away', 'Free us from this net'. 'Fetch me some water' was the third direct order Lance had been told to accomplish, not any less rude than the other two. He did not mind being ordered, after all he was there to serve him, so why... Why did he expect the prince to be at least a bit kind? There were plenty of ways to ask for water and be fucking nice.   
Ah shit, here we go again with the contradictory perceptions he got from Keith. 

"My pleasure, your majesty," he replied just as coldly, his ungloved fingers brushing the prince's as he quickly grabbed the flask, standing up and walking to the river afterwards. 'Mi mi mi, Leandro. Fetch, dog. You'll accompany me on my journey, peasant. Know your place, servant,' he mumbled angrily in his head as the clear water made it's way into the flask. 

Whatever the reason behind his pale cheeks intensely reddening was. He shouldn't care. Just don't care, Lance. Take a deep breath, and keep trying. Or maybe just don't. That looked way easier.   
He stood up and left the flask on the tree next to the prince, sitting down afterwards - further from Keith - to keep finishing his breakfast.

Keith had done something wrong. He may not be great at picking up social clues, but he was pretty sure he'd done something wrong. Lance seemed more distant than before. Shit. But at least Lance had obeyed. 

Keith picked up his flask and took a small sip, the fresh water cooling him down even more. He shivered and didn't look at Lance again. "We should get going soon," he announced, turning to his tent.   
How to take this thing down? 

He walked over, knelt down, and tried to get the canvas loose. It did not work. He growled and got up, walking away. He needed to refresh himself first, and then he'd try again. Maybe. 

He walked a short distance away from their small camp, and fell to his knees on a big rock besides the river. His reflection looked back at him with disgust. What an asshole. How dare he upset Lance like that?   
He hit his reflection in anger, and used some of the water to clean his face and neck, after which he brushed his hair back and tied it in a high bun to keep it out of his eyes. 

Long hair was a sign of young royalty in many kingdoms, which was why Lotor had been growing his hair out since he was a boy.   
Keith remembered the last time he'd had his hair cut. Curtesy of his father, who had cut it off with a knife after Keith had embarrassed him in public. A mistake. And a punishment. 

Keith quickly turned away from the river. The freezing water had cleared away the last of his concealer and exposed the barely faded black bruise on the side of his face and the fingers still visible around his neck. Well fuck.   
It didn't really matter, Lance had seen his bruises already, and why would he care? It was none of his business. 

Keith got up, brushed a sleeve over his face to clean away the excess water and walked back to his tent for another try.

Lance had enough time to finish the berry sandwich by the moment the prince appeared again, as well as time to calm down and think. 

No matter how much of a jerk Keith was, he didn't seem to realize it. Perhaps it wasn't his fault, he was raised to act that way probably, and gave Lance no right to really complain. Plus for this journey they needed to get along, so he would keep trying. 

"...Want me to help you?" He said when he noticed Keith struggling yet again, and without waiting for a reply he got up and walked to the other extent of the tent. 

He guessed the way he tended to speak to the prince changed without him noticing, and the proper way of saying that would be 'My humblest offer to do this for you, your magnificent excellency' or something like that, but no. To get closer he'd have to cut boundaries. 

He helped himself with his dagger - the same dagger placed on the prince's neck nights ago - to pull the sharp wood sticks anchoring the tent off the ground, untied two of the fours sticks and waited for Keith to start folding and rolling the materials.

Working alongside a servant. His father definitely wouldn't approve. But his father wasn't here, and he needed to get closer to Lance, make some amendments. He got up, flapped the canvas and folded it with a lot of effort. Damn, he wasn't used to doing this kind of work. But he would try, for Lance. 

He rolled the sticks along with the canvas and tied it up with a long string. Keith couldn't help but notice the familiarity of that knife. If Lance truly was that thief, if he had threatened the Prince and then tried to make it up by breaking into his room...   
Keith wasn't sure what to do about that. He wouldn't turn the boy in, of course. Should he confront him? No, that was stupid. Just ignore it. It might be a whole different person. 

He took a deep breath and stood up, tying the tent to the back of his saddle. And then he hesitated again. "I.. Thank you, for helping me," he breathed.   
What was he doing? Lance was a servant. He didn't expect gratefulness. This was his job. He flushed red again and turned around. Shit. He was embarrassing himself.

Lance's eyes widened mindlessly. Did his ears betray him or was that gratitude from the prince? Surely unexpected, but... very, very welcome. 

A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he walked past the prince to pack the things from last night on his bag. "A real pleasure, my prince. Anything for you," he replied heartwarmingly, securing the bags on his horse.   
He untied her and got onto the saddle, checking if they weren't forgetting anything before turning to the prince again. "Shall we get going?"

Keith looked down and nodded, almost hearing his father's growl of disapproval in his ear. Looking thís submissive in front of a servant? God, Keith was glad there was nobody around to see him. Lance obviously didn't mind. 

He quickly grabbed the saddle, threw it on Kosmo and tightened it around her, before taking the reigns and climbing onto her back. That was better. This height gave him at least a little dignity. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to regain a neutral exterior, and then looked at Lance. "Let's go. We've got a long way to go."   
He took a deep breath and set a little pressure on Kosmo's stomach, making her walk, without waiting for Lance. He'd compromised enough already. Time to be a Prince again.

The gratitude words still echoed in the hunter's head, allowing him to let Keith's princey attitude slide off and start riding to his side once again, while the hopes of recieving more of his gentle side kept a smile on his face.

They'd been riding for a while, carefully following the remaining tracks as the sun got hidden by clouds, and all the way Lance had been avoiding to stare at the prince for too long. 

He'd tried to ignore the visible dark bruise against his pale skin, and now that his - terribly wild for his taste - mullet had been pulled up in a bun he could also notice the fainter bruises on his neck. 

The first one was his fault, and despite having apologized already he still felt wrong with himself. 

The second one... He still couldn't grasp the concept of it. 

Between the hooves' constant tapping against the ground, and the animals around being the only things keeping the forest from going completely silent, Kalt's horseman decided to speak. 

"...Have you ever been this far from the castle before, your majesty?" he finally let out after debating to compliment him or asking questions first. 

Then right after, in front of his eyes a single tiny white dot fell slowly and posed itself on the prince's raven hair, followed by another, and another, as the slow snowflakes began descending from the sky.

Keith was silent for a long time, long enough as though it seemed he hadn't heard it. But then he spoke. "Yes." 

There was no reason nót to talk with Lance. As long as he didn't say anything stupid. "I have been on visits to many different kingdoms. But I haven't been this far on my own. Or, with you, of course." 

He sighed and looked ahead of him. Just tell him a little more. Lance would appreciate it, and he was the one person Keith actually didn't mind talking to, aside from Shiro. 

"I wish I could go on my own," he muttered, and then he stayed quiet. He couldn't say any more. 

Lance bounced up and down on his horse in the corner of his eye. He never ceased to amaze Keith, with his chocolate hair, and his tan skin that somehow looked delicious -even though Keith couldn't touch it-, and his eyes... Those goddamn eyes. 

Keith's head snapped back, his expression angry. How dare Lance seduce him like this? It was cruel.

The hunter's question was followed by minutes of uncomfortable silence for him, where he debated if Keith didn't feel like talking or just talking with someone of such low status as him. 

Luckly, despite being startled by it, he finally got an answer. Not the one he expected though. His expression fell slightly, and he ruffled a few frost and snowflakes from his hair before covering it with his hoodie, in part to keep it from getting cold but also to hide his face. 

"...I know I'm not the best company, your highness. I'm sorry." He knew the prince probably didn't mean it like that, but it'd struck his heart like a spear. He was really, really trying, but like always his best wasn't enough. 

However he didn't want to pity himself in front of the prince, so he didn't allow him to answer by quickly adding; "Why can't you go by yourself? You're the prince, after all."

Keith glanced at Lance, but saw he'd pulled his hood up. Shit. He'd fucked it up again, hadn't he? Fuck fuck fuck. The strange urge to curse out loud boiled inside him, but it was quickly pushed down. 

"I don't mean it like that," he answered bluntly. "I don't mind your company." Okay. Time to lower his walls, at least a little. He pulled his own hood up, as if he needed to replace the emotional barrier with a physical one. 

"I can't go by myself. I'm not allowed." It wouldn't be too bad, to confide a little in Lance. Just a little.   
"I can't go anywhere without guards. It's too dangerous to go out by myself. All I can do is ride a little in the safe area of the forest, but I usually take commander Shiro with me. Besides that... It's not even safe for me in my own castle," he sighed, wanting to see Lance's reaction, but it was blocked by that dark hood. Just like the thief had had. 

It didn't matter if it was Lance or not. If it was, he had done a few things wrong, but that didn't mean he was a bad guy. And Keith definitely wouldn't turn him in, tell his father. He couldn't bear to see someone else executed, especially not.. Not Lance. And if he wasn't, nothing was wrong. They could just live on. 

He bit his lip and moved along with Kosmo's steps as she made her way through the trees.

Lance obediently listened to the whole explanation while fidgeting with the laces of his cloak, taking a moment to try and put himself in Keith's shoes. 

After a dead silence he frowned to the idea, although as long as he kept looking at the front Keith wouldn't be able to see it. He loved his space and alone time, no one to judge, no one whose expectations fulfill. In the woods he only had one purpose, one he could do, so... 

"I'd go nuts if someone had to follow me around all day every day, certainly. That sucks..." he muttered, realizing the person he was talking about was himself right now. Great. 

He wasn't sure if the last phrase was dedicated to the king or the thief, maybe both. Still him not feeling safe at the castle was mostly his fault. 

"And I understand. I know you did not mean it like that, I'm just used to... People telling me I'm loud and obnoxious and annoying, not the best companion to be around so... If you ever want me to shut up, please tell me," he muttered. He had a terrible tendency to ramble off topic all day, and the prince clearly wasn't one to talk much. It'd make sence if he was bothered by him, or just his presence in general. "I guess I wish you could go on your own, too."

Keith bit his lip and stayed quiet for a while, moving along perfectly with Kosmo's steps. At least horse riding was one thing he could do. "You are a bit annoying at times, yes," Keith said. 

Keith definitely didn't mind, but Lance talked a lot. It was cute. But he couldn't say that. "I am not bothered by it," he eventually added. 

He wanted to ask Lance to tell him more, to speak loudly and obnoxiously all the way to their destination, but he couldn't say that either. Uhg. The air between them grew thick with silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Not really.   
And then, Keith spoke again. 

"It's not that bad, being followed everywhere. It keeps me safe. And you're not bad company." Shit, was that too much? This was going way too fast for Keith. Lance did something to him, made him feel safer than ever before. Or, in a long time, at least. 

What more could they talk about? Last time he'd ordered Lance to speak had not gone well, but maybe he could try again. Something easy first. 

"You told me you had siblings last time we rode together, didn't you? Tell me about them."   
He bent over a little to avoid getting hit in the face by a low branch and tried to sneak a peak at Lance behind that hood. Keith wished he'd pull it down. His face was just too beautiful to be hidden like this.

The moment he was called annoying out loud by the prince, Lance felt even worse. But then the prince kept talking, and every word that followed sounded more and more positive, to the point he was called good company.   
He could tell Keith was really trying, for him? 

So despite his words not being the warmest, his good intentions placed a small smile on his lips. "Well... My oldest brother Luis works with my father as his blacksmith apprentice to take over the job, he's married and has two children." Successful and praised, with the perfect job and family. 

"Then's my oldest sister Veronica, who works as the village veterinarian. She's very nice but busy all the time, so I barely get to spend time with her... Marco taught me how to hunt, he's a pain in the ass," he said with a soft chuckle.   
"He works as the village's trade merchant, and my twin Rachel makes portraits, takes care of the farm and... my mother, when I'm working." 

He lowered his head a bit and started making a tiny braid on Kaltenecker's blonde hair as she walked across the snowy forest. 

"As you can see, I'm..." The family failure, he finished in his mind. "It's.. a tradition, for the McClains to work somewhere that's not in the castle, or for the king, that is. They don't really like the monarchy and all, so they're all against my job and pretty much everything else I do." 

Ah, shit. He was rambling again. How hard was it for him to answer just what he'd been asked? The prince didn't care about him, period. "So... That's us."

Keith couldn't help but smile softly, even though he cringed at the mention of Lance's mother. God, what was wrong with him, it wasn't even his own. 

But Lance had an amazing family. Keith had always wanted siblings, someone to trust in. Someone to count on. Someone to share his pain, even. 

"Thank you, for telling me," he said. He was starting to like this whole 'thank you' thing. It had something comforting. Something that said he wasn't a failure, maybe. 

"It sounds like you have a fine family. Good for you." Keith couldn't complain. He was born into royalty, got everything he asked for. Servants to assist him day and night. Guards to protect him. 

The only downside was his father, that would check how he was doing, and if he was doing anything wrong. It was Keith's fault he always did shit wrong. 

Family was difficult, and everyone had their problems. But at least he could keep Lance talking for now. Keith already felt better, hearing his voice echo through the trees. It had something magical. 

Lance still hadn't lowered his hood, though. So Keith kept sneaking glances, hoping to catch a glimpse of that face, those eyes. 

At least he could watch Lance's hips slowly sway atop his horse. Was it inappropriate to watch him like that while he didn't look? Probably. But Keith didn't stop. It was mesmerising.

A fine family. Indeed, the tanned boy thought. It was kind of chaotic, but everyone loved each other very much, and likewise shared one of the strongest bonds. 

"Yeah... I guess I do. And it's nothing, your highness," he replied kindly, feeling his heart warming up at his second sign of gratitude. 

Now that the prince had started to be nicer - as in, really comfortingly nice - Lance noticed himself missing his handsome features. He finished braiding Kalt and turned to him without warning, instantly catching him staring. Why? 

Maybe he was worried? No, that couldn't be it. His expression was that of him checking him out, and he felt his cheeks getting slightly warm against the cold frosty air.

But he didn't avert his gaze right away, and allowed himself to dive on those - unlike any other - violet eyes, before finally looking away with an absentmental smile. 

"I know... You're not much talk back because you're the Prince and all," he said while lowering his hood and meeting his eyes once again, the smile still persisting on his face. "But I really want to get to know you... I hope that's not inappropiate, your highness." 

It totally was, and he knew, but that didn't stop him from asking the next question.   
"What do you like to do?" As a prince, he probably had classes and meetings and training and shit, but a bunch of free time as well.

Shit. Lance had caught him staring. Shit shit shit. Lance was gonna think he was a pervert. He kinda was. Shit. Why couldn't he just act like a normal person?   
Just because the only person you've ever touched intimately is yourself doesn't mean you can just stare at people's ass all day, Keith. 

He nearly missed Lance's next words. Lance wanted to yet to know him? Why? Keith wasn't interesting. "I.. I don't mind," he said softly. 

"I don't have a lot of free time, to be honest." It was difficult to think and talk about what he liked. It didn't matter what he liked. Duty was more important. Duty, family, honour. But if Lance wanted to know, he'd try. 

"I.. I enjoy riding," he breathed. Don't say anything stupid. Riding was an appropriate hobby for a Prince. Art definitely wasn't. But Lance wouldn't judge him, right?   
"I draw occasionally," he added quickly, as though it was a secret he needed to get out. 

After that, he shut up again, staring at Lance's finally exposed face. Gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. It just made him blush more violently. Shit. Stop it, Keith. He's gonna think you're weird. He already does. 

Keith bit his lip, looked down at Kosmo's neck and desperately tried to fight down that stupid blush. Goddammit, you're a Prince, not a schoolgirl.

Lance was surprised by how easy the prince had answered his question instead of avoiding it, which made him think perhaps he trusted him a teeny tiny bit more. 

But what took him aback even more was the intense blush rising on his pale face, that happening while he stared at him once more. He remembered the campfire last night and how the scene had played out exactly the same. Lance finally got the hint;   
It couldn't be... 

No way he got all flustered by his presence, right? Going over the stated facts he was nothing but a servant and he was talking about the freaking prince, it seemed almost impossible, but... Then again, the prince was just as human as himself and everyone else. 

He couldn't blame him for checking him out, staring again and again, because he was pretty handsome himself after all and he knew it.

Or that's what his extremely confident side would say, because the sight of Keith's flustered expression had him completely smitten, and the cherry red of his cheeks was absolutely adorable, made his heart flutter. Ah, he'd always been this gorgeous, ever since he was the tiny teen riding across the village.

And yet he'd stared at him, out of all servants, out of all people, one in a million. A small giggle escaped his lips as he proceeded to answer. 

"Drawing, huh. I'm not an artist, but I love appreciating art, so that's cool." He'd really like to see his drawings one day, he thought. Then he tilted his head slightly as he dedicated him a playful glance, accompanied by a seductive smirk. 

If he'd read him wrong he'd be sent to jail for doing that, but he was ninety nine percent sure he knew what was going on, so he murmured softly; "Red looks good on you, by the way."

Keith heard him, but he wish he didn't. The combined power of those words and that awfully irresistible look he have him was too much. 

He turned his gaze down again, almost panting softly form the sudden shift in their interaction. Had Lance just.. Fuck. That was hot. Keith sat quietly on his horse, his posture barely changing, but inside he was freaking out. 

Lance had caught him staring. Lance had smiled at him like thát. And Lance had complemented him on his blush. 

He could, of course, be talking about an outfit he'd once worn. Keith wore plenty of red, it was his favourite colour and also the colour of Daibazaal. But he knew deep inside Lance was speaking of the shameful flush tainting his cheeks. 

Why was he doing all of that? Was he playing with him? Probably. Just tease the Prince, he's too stupid to respond anyway. Keith really was. He had no idea how to deal with such a situation. 

Flirting back like Lance had done was out of the question, he'd only embarrass himself. Ignoring it would seem... rude. Maybe. It would be easiest, though. Yes. Ignore it. Just pretend you have no idea what he's talking about. 

"Right. Tell me about your job. How long have you worked at the castle? What kind of creatures do you normally hunt?"   
Great save, Keith. Now just get that embarrassing blush off your face, and you're good to go. Except that Lance totally knew he was crushing on him now. Shit.


	12. How Not To Deal With Emotions

'Interesting shift of topic, prince', the tanned boy thought as he tried to hold a chuckle. That was a good save, or it would have been, if Lance hadn't noticed how red he still was and the way his expression had changed when he threw a flirt at him. 

Making a mental note on the rather positive reaction, he proceeded to continue their chat as if nothing had happened.  
"I've worked since I was fourteen, your majesty. Commander Shiro took me in due to the village's rumours about 'a young boy having hunted a white hart'."  
The white hart was considered a rare, hard to find piece of quarry, and his entire family had gathered to celebrate and delight itself with such one in a lifetime meal. 

Five years of wandering through the castle walls was more than enough to learn the guard patterns, blind spots, hideouts, loopholes. That explained how the blue thief got away each time. 

"And as for quarry, the most common animals are breeds of deer such as red deer or harts, hares and rabbits, ducks, boars, pheasants..." He could go on and on about animals and their breeds.  
"I can get us fish too of course, but that's not my job in the Castle," he pointed out as if prince Lotor could hear from the distance. 

"Each one is different to chase and take down, some more violent than others. I've got plenty of scars from boars and.. other animals." He had a particularly bizarre one on his left ankle due to a wolf's bite when he was a kid, but he didn't want to remember that.  
"So it's no easy task."

Keith hummed softly, glad Lance had let him off without further teasing, or whatever it was. Besides, it was kind of interesting to hear about all these things. 

Keith wondered for a split second what he'd have been, if he hadn't been a Prince, but then he realised he would have been even more useless than he was now. He could do very little. There was no money in drawing. 

Maybe he could have done something with animals. Train horses or something like that. Or he could have used his fighting skills, which he was above average at. Maybe. But if he hadn't been a Prince, he wouldn't have had that kind of training.  
It didn't matter. He was. 

"I can see that," he mused. "And your commander, do you like him? Is he doing his job right?" Keith chuckled on the inside. Of course Shiro was doing great, he always was. But it would be good to hear it from someone else. Maybe Lance had a different view, from being under his command. 

But Keith knew Shiro would never do anything illegal, or immoral. Well, being this close to the Prince, this familiar, his father definitely wouldn't approve if he knew just how deep their bond was. 

But still, Shiro was the only person he was allowed to talk to like that. Shiro was safety. And Shiro had helped him so many times when he was in trouble, when he was running from his father or some other royal, when he had done something wrong and Shiro knew just how to fix it. 

Keith looked down and smiled softly. Where would he have been without that man? Dead, probably. Even if he didn't have any siblings, he wouldn't trade Shiro for a real brother, ever.

Lance would've thought the question was quite strange if he hadn't noticed how fond the prince was towards that man. Before answering he looked at their surroundings and the tracks they'd been following just in case he'd get distracted and accidentally change the course. 

"Of course, commander Shiro is the best at what he does, the bravest of knights and the strongest of men," he praised him honestly with stars in his eyes, looking at the sky as the snowflakes gradually stopped falling. 

"...I've always admired him, since I was a kid." He let his memory take him years and years ago, when he was seven years old. 

"A man... An old man, was about to be punished in the center of the village for everyone to see, something about him and his family having several debts to the king. But then the commander appeared, and he stopped the other knights from hurting him by offering his own savings instead to give him more time." 

He looked back down at his horse with a faint smile. "I'll never forget that. I've always wanted to be like him, strong and brave, but mostly be able to help and defend the ones in need," he murmured, lost in thought. 

Who needed the Robin Hood legends when he already had a legend, a real champion to look up to? He shook his thoughts away and looked at the prince. 

"You and him seem really close, I've noticed," he commented casually. There was a point he'd even wondered if they were something else, he still kind of did, but it didn't concern him.

Keith smiled fondly at the story. Yeah, that sounded like Shiro. "He's always like that," Keith said. Shiro had been hired when he was, what, nine? Eight, maybe? 

The man barely been old enough to sign up for the Royal guards, but he'd told Keith that was his lifelong dream. To serve the innocent. 

He'd just been a soldier back then, a nobody. He'd taken Keith riding more times than he could count, grown up with Keith in a way closer than brothers. And when he noticed Keith's constant bruises, he knew there was little he could do about it but support him. And that he did. Keith definitely wouldn't have made it without him. 

"He's saved me more times than I can count," Keith spoke softly. "And he.." He stopped. That was enough. You can't just tell him your whole life story, Keith. He's not even interested. This is personal. "Yeah. He's a good person." 

They rode on in silence for a while, Lance's question spinning in his head. Close. Yes, he and Shiro were close. But he couldn't help but notice there was something in the tone of Lance's voice. Suspicion? Disgust? Jealousy. He couldn't possibly think that.. No. Maybe. 

"He's like a brother to me," Keith whispered, barely audible but hoping to assure Lance that his relationship with the man was just that. Deep friendship.

A while of uncertainty had passed until Lance heard a soft whisper, and since the forest was quiet he luckly was able to hear and understand it. A brother. That made sense. 

"...You're both lucky to have each other, then," he muttered just as quietly without looking at Keith. He was glad that in such cold, grey life, the prince had at least a person to count on, same thing for his commander. 

He wondered why he felt slightly relieved to know their relationship wasn't how he'd thought it could be. No way he'd ever though of him as a possible crush, and he shouldn't. He couldn't. Princes don't date servant boys. 

But one thing he'd noticed, and that was the prince debating whether to talk too much or not at all, so instead he'd share a bit more about himself in hopes to motivate him. 

"I guess Shiro saved me as well, from completely disappointing my family. He took me in as an apprentice, gave me a job, a shoulder to cry on... And he saved me from being eaten by wolves, literally," he said, too casually for the experience being actually traumatic.

But before he could expect a response from the prince, Kaltenecker stopped. Not too far from the woods, a clearing extended where houses, lights and people could be seen. A village on the land of no one, because Lance was pretty sure this lands were too small and hidden to be ruled or follow the rules of a king. 

"...The trail keeps going forward, your excellency." He said with a raised eyebrow. "Maybe the rebels stopped there to rest and refill supplies? They could still be there, if they haven't left already."  
Even if they wanted to go around, they'd take longer to find out the direction they headed to.  
Should they enter the unknown village?

All thoughts of love and friendship were wiped away as Keith put on a serious face again, the blush instantly vanishing from his cheeks. 

"It would be no use to continue around this village if the rebels have stopped here. We should at least check to see if they are here. They are with plenty, we should recognise them." 

He thought for a while. "But we leave out horses here, and I will need a change of clothes. If people find out someone of status stays in their village, word will travel too fast, and they will find out I'm chasing them." 

He slid off his horse onto the ground. "Come on." Dragging Kosmo along by the reign, he led them to a fallen tree, the uprooted base of which provided a safe shelter, completely out of sight and far enough away from any prying eyes.  
Kosmo didn't need to be tied down, so he just released the reigns and told her to stay. 

Then he sprang open the buttons of his fancy vest, and slipped it off. His shirt and pants could pass, but he couldn't wear this cloak. The fur edges would be a big giveaway. 

"Do you have anything I can wear?" he asked Lance. He did not mean to insult, but Lance most likely had something less... regal.

Lance had slid off Kaltenecker and left her next to the black mare by the time he was asked that question. 

He thought for a moment before looking through the clothes in the bag held by the horse, and pulled out a dark brown leather waistcoat, along the one and only, black onyx cloak. Exactly the one he used to infiltrate the castle at night time. Why? Because as a servant he couldn't afford luxuries like more than two winter cloaks.  
He had no choice but to offer it to him.

But it would be alright, It's design wasn't complex, and there were more people with black cloaks. It still wasn't a real proof. 

"Here. I know it's far from velvet with gold carvings on it, but... I still think you'll look good in it," he murmured, offering the clothes with one hand and scratching his neck with the other. 

His eyes were kept on the village as he repeated the million things they'd have to do and avoid to not get caught in his head. He doubted anyone there had ever seen Keith or him, except for the rebels, so they'd have to keep an eye out without being too secretive, obviously. They could eat and stay the night there as well, depending on the group staying there or not, and how long they would take to find out.

Keith blushed and took both the items, quickly pulling them on. "And that's kind of the point, isn't it? To not look like royalty." 

He swung the vaguely familiar cloak around his shoulder. Great, it even smells like the thief. Forest wood and animal fur. But then again, that was a normal scent for a hunter. Maybe, just maybe it was coincidence that he shared such a scent with the mysterious thief. 

He tied the strings on his new vest and stuffed his other clothes into his saddle bags, which he lifted off the horse. They would most likely stay away all night, and it would be cruel to keep them like this all night.  
Sure, it was risky in case they needed to make a quick getaway, but that was unlikely. Keith wasn't a monster. 

He made sure there was plenty of food and some puddles for the horses to drink out of, and then grabbed a small satchel with some money and necessities, and preceeded Lance back to the path, and then towards the small village.

Just to be sure he wouldn't get recognised, he pulled the ribbon out of his hair so it would obscure his face, though he doubted anyone here would know him. 

He didn't look like himself anyway. He still had that bruise on his face, he hadn't bathed today and he now wore incredibly uncharacteristic clothes. 

He didn't walk next to Lance, but led him into the village. It was quite busy, people still walking around, even though the sun was nearly setting. The path led them straight into the middle of the town, where a few children were playing on a small square. Music was coming from a rather large building at one side, and Keith jerked his head towards it, looking around at Lance. 

"If they are staying in this town, they will most likely have a room there. Let's follow them, rent a room as well. I wouldn't say no to a good meal either."  
He gave Lance the smallest of smiles and waited for him to maybe argue. 

Keith pretended to know what to do, but Lance was the one with experience of being among... people. Keith may know a lot about etiquette, about status and titles and diplomacy, but he knew very little about how to interact with normal civilians.

The hunter shifted his eyes from the prince to the building again. The place looked crowded inside, like it was holding some kind of celebration. The chance at least a few rebels were in it was very high. 

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Except it wasn't. Since they didn't know how they looked, where they were or how many of them were here, they'd have to improvise. 

He took a look at their surroundings then back at the prince, realizing the strong contrast that needed to be hidden; he didn't exactly look like a prince, but he still was on the inside, and every movement, even the way he spoke was gracious and graceful. 

"A suggestion, your highness?" he murmured lowly. "Don't mantain such straight stance, and relax. We don't want to get too much attention for you looking so tense." 

He would have added 'leave the talking to me' but it could sound offensive. Plus, how bad could his acting be? 

He turned and approached the building, where the music grew stronger as he opened the door for him. "After you, my Prince," he said both flirtatiously and ironically, with a small bow.

He looked too tense. Great. How could he change his stance? Keith had been drilled thoroughly to get this kind of attitude, this body language. And now he was supposed to defy everything he was? 

Alright. Just do it, for the mission. He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders, just like he did before practice. Just relax. His feet found their way through the thin layer of snow, and Lance pushed open the door. The music hit his ears as the excruciating heat of the room hit his face. It was busy, really busy. 

Keith nearly had to push his way through the crowd, touching way more people than he would have preferred, and finally made his way to the counter, where he tried to get the barman's attention. The rather buff looking man was busy serving some other guests, and didn't hear Keith clearing his throat. Fuck. 

He looked around at Lance, worry mixing with frustration in his eyes. Why wouldn't they listen to him? He was the Prince, for God's sake.  
These people didn't know that, of course. 

Uhg, this was more difficult than he was used to. And he'd forgotten to adapt his stance again. It wasn't fair. Lance was standing just as straight up as him. Why was he the one that was 'tense'? Totally unfair. 

Then again, Lance looked comfortable, he looked like he fit in. Keith did not. Even though the pulled up hood obscured most of his face, he still stood out clearly. Some of the guys at the bar were already staring at him, their subtlety lost in too much alcohol. 

He took a small step back, behind Lance. Great, now he was a weakling who needed his guard to feel safe. Keith clenched his teeth and looked at Lance, hoping he'd do it something.  
People kept stumbling around the room, bumping into him. Every touch made him jump. The music was way too loud, he couldn't hear anyone. He was panicking. 'Do something, please,' he silently begged Lance.  
Anything.

Only a few minutes had passed with them staying inside the building, but the tanned boy could already sense prince Keith paralyzing in a weird mix of discomfort, struggle and panic. Even more when he didn't know how to handle the crowded place, where, him looking incredibly short and small in comparison to the rest of the built men and women, was almost ignored and bumped into. 

The group of people around the counter was growing impatient and started trying to make their way and push the prince aside, so as a last resort Lance surrounded him with one arm, both to protect him and bring him closer to himself and the counter. 

"Aye, mate!" he said loudly in hopes of catching the bartender's attention, which he did.  
"We've travelled a long way to escape the royals' tyranny all day, won't you please pour us a shot?" 

The man seemed to buy the story and walked to them after serving his current request. He looked rather scary and ready to kick anyone out of that place, but he directed the boys a knowing smile.

"Tell me about it, those motherfuckers don't give a shit 'bout their people. Luc'kly for you we don't kiss no king's ass in this town," he said with a laugh, which Lance tried to smoothly go along with. These people clearly went against everything Keith represented. 

If they somehow found out their free-from-royalty village had welcomed a prince, he'd be dead on the spot. 

"Tell me, what can I get'cha."

"A jar of your best beer, good sir. Two jars?" he asked, turning to the boy he still held with his arm, giving him the option to choose dinner as well.

Keith's breath hitched when Lance pulled him close. It hurt, somehow, but less than when he was being touched by all those strangers. At least Lance was a little safe. 

He knew it was bullshit, that it didn't actually hurt him. Lance wasn't even touching his skin. But still, the feeling went so deep. 

All his efforts were focused on stopping himself shivering, standing still. He had forgotten all about blending in, or looking for rebels. He just wanted to get out of there, desperately. And then Lance asked him something. 

He looked up into those dazzlingly blue eyes, and nodded. "I don't care," he breathed. "Just get us anything." Then he lowered his voice even more. "Get us out of here, please," he whispered. 

He couldn't take this much longer. It was too loud, too busy. Too many people. He wanted to shrink back into a corner of the room, hide himself in the darkness. Lance's arm felt way too heavy on his shoulder. It sent painful waves through him. 

Every fiber of his body told him to scream, to run away. To fight. But Lance was saving his skin, getting them what they needed. So Keith could hold on a little longer, no matter how much it hurt.

Shocked by how scared, terrified the prince looked, he turned to the bartender once more and ended up ordering their dinner being taken to their room, which he took the liberty to rent from the barman's partner next to him. Third floor, B. 

He shared a few more words of courtesy with the man while paying and walked the prince out of the bunch of people, finally letting him go once they reached the stairs.  
But he didn't stop until they'd made their way to their room and closed the door behind them. 

He took a glance at the room; a small table with a chair on the side, a door for the bathroom and... one bed. The bartender had said there were only shared rooms in that building, but Lance hadn't had time to process it after hurrying out the bar as he'd been asked, pleaded. 

That's right... Keith had pleaded him to get him out. He could deal with the bed later, sleep on the floor or whatever, right now the only thing that mattered was... 

"Your highness? Are you alright?" he asked with traces of worry regarding his almost panick attack.

Keith was definitely shaking now. His body was shivering from head to toe, skin paler than usual and striding to the other side of the room, away from Lance. 

He couldn't speak. Too many people. Too busy. Too loud. His brain was.. overloading. They had touched them. They had touched him through this stupid cloak, through his clothes. 

It felt like he'd been cut multiple times, wide open gashes dripping blood over his back. His trembling fingers undid the string on the cloak and it dropped the the floor, making his shaking more apparent than before. 

Stop it, Keith. You're embarrassing yourself. What would father say? Keep it together. You're not alone. You can't show this to anyone, not even Lance. He forced himself to stop shivering, and sat down on the bed. 

His straight posture hadn't faded and he faced away from Lance, so the boy couldn't see the emotions rushing past his face. 

This was embarrassing. Why couldn't he just be normal? There was nothing wrong with being touched, being close to people. His father could do it, everyone else could. But every time someone touched him, it felt like fire. Like his skin crawling, telling him to get out of there. Like his body preparing for the worst, even though there was nothing wrong.  
Lance had asked him something. 

"I'm fine," he spoke, surprising himself with the steadyness of his tone.

Lance was even more taken aback now, and just like hunting and tracking, he had to go over what had happened again to try and understand the meaning of his extreme panick; crowded place, loud noise, people pressure? 

People... making sudden and overwhelming physical contact with him, including Lance. He'd unconciously overstepped. Not only that, but he knew the look the raven haired boy had given him down the bar was one of fear, even pain. 

He couldn't be sure of what had triggered it, but everything had started going down the moment he pulled him closer. 

Fear of physical contact, Haphephobia. 

It could make sence, how he always avoided to be touched, and most importantly, why.  
Glued to the floor, the hunter did very little but take off his coat and hang them both on a perch, allowing the prince seconds of silence before muttering: "I apologize, I should've picked a less crowded place, and I shouldn't have... touched you, without your permission..." 

It wasn't his intention, but it didn't matter. His sudden and forced shift from terrified to almost neutral made his stomach overturn, so he had to add, in an even softer voice; 

"...It's alright to not be okay, your majesty... There's only me here." And he wouldn't judge, he'd understand, but it would just be normal if Keith didn't expect that.

Keith wanted to tell him to shut up, to go away and mind his own business. But he couldn't. He'd hurt him enough. 

Lance obviously cared, for some strange reason. But he was wrong, it wasn't okay not to be okay. He was a Prince. He should set a good example. He couldn't be.. like this. 

He raised his head slightly, staring out of the window into the distance, where the sun disappeared behind the horizon. 

"It's not your fault I overreacted. And I'm fine," he said, his voice final. No more discussion. He couldn't take it, it would break him. 

What was Lance playing at? Did he want to see him weak? Did he want him to cry? Maybe. Keith couldn't look at him, couldn't turn around. Lance probably had that kind, supportive look on his face. Just like he'd gotten him away from that awful place down there, Lance would protect him from anything else, right? Stupid Keith. Don't rely on other people so much. 

He started unlacing his vest, forcing his hands to stop trembling, and slipped out of his boots. He had too many clothes on. 

"When is our food coming?" he asked, desperate to change the subject and still not looking at Lance. Now was not the time to break down. It was never the time to break down. A shameful thing, crying.

Lance frowned due to not believing a word. 

"You did not overreact, I know you're not fine, and it's alright, your highness. We all have our demons," he complained, but was stopped by a knock on the door. 

Sighing he headed to open it - being careful in case it was an unwanted visitor -, but luckily it was just a waiter with their dinner. He thanked him, took the tray and closed the door again. In the end he'd asked wine for the prince, and the dinner consisted of salad, pulled chicken and rice. 

He debated whether to sit with him or not, but right now probably the best thing was to give him his space to avoid overwhelming him, so he left the tray next to him, took his own plate and jar and let his back slide down the door and to the floor.

Okay. Calm down, Keith. Don't embarrass yourself more than you've already done. He took the tray and stood up, setting it down on the table and sliding into the chair with his usual grace. Royalty couldn't dine in bed. 

It was warmer in this building, though not quite as hot as downstairs in the bar room. His woolen socks kept his feet warm, even after slipping out of his shoes. The food was.. reasonable. Sure, not quite what he was used to, and the wine was kind of disgusting, but still. He couldn't expect anything else from a small town inn. 

Keith wasn't sure whether he wanted Lance to sit beside him. He always appreciated the company, but now.. They had a mission. He couldn't prioritise his 'feelings' in any way. And Lance shouldn't either. 

When he finished eating, he finally turned to face Lance. His face had changed into a neutral expression once more, at last driving away that shameful fear, and there was no trace of insecurity in his voice as he spoke. 

"I don't have any demons, and my emotional state is none of your business." It was harsh, he knew that. But Lance needed to stop prying, because Keith was afraid of what the boy might find. There were issues Keith hid that would scare the young hunter. 

"We should continue doing what we came here to do, which is tracking down those rebels and eliminating them."

The brunette had finished eating a while ago, he was swinging the bit of beer he had left in circles while the prince spoke, and the moment he finished, Lance raised his frowning gaze towards him. 

He did not like being dismissed after offering his help, being lied to, nor being treated as such as if what he'd just seen didn't happen. 

"I'm no fool, your majesty. But I'll act like one and stop trying to help, if that's what you desire." His words were cold, but deep down he knew he was bluffing. Every single particle in his body drove him to support that poor boy. 

He finished the remaining bitter sip in his jar, took the plates and got up to leave them on the table, proceeding to act as if nothing had happened once more. 

"I'll go down the bar to see if there's anything suspicious, you stay here." Yes, he said it as an order, while taking off his hunting tools before leaving them in a corner of the room. 

What, the prince couldn't say no, he couldn't even last five minutes down there. Without awaiting a reply he took the dishes and headed outside.


	13. Lance, You Slut

Keith's mouth nearly fell open. Had Lance just.. He had ordered his superior. Keith had never liked the whole class thing, but to see it disrespected like that.. The boy would have been flayed if his father had seen this. 

And then the door closed, and Keith could do nothing more but stare at the place Lance had disappeared, shock in his eyes. 

Of course, this was the obvious thing to do. Keith stood out too much down there, and Lance was perfect for blending in and listening quietly to conversations, maybe even participating in one. 

Lance. He was so incredibly bold. Should Keith do something about it, tell him off? To be honest, he didn't want to.   
And when he got past the shock, he realised he didn't mind Lance taking a little control at all. Lance was better at all of this anyway. 

Well, while Lance was checking out the people downstairs, Keith had time to take care of his appearance. He usually bathed every single day and felt disgusting from riding two days now without cleaning himself properly. So he walked to the small bathroom and closed the door behind him. It did not lock. Great.

Well, Lance would knock if he came back, right? He pulled off all his clothes and looked in the mirror for a moment. The bruise on his face was fading slowly, and the rest of his body was nearly it's usual colour again. The blueish outline of the bruise on his chest still stood out quite clearly, but the rest was just scars.   
So many scars.   
Mostly on his back, but some on his chest, his legs, his arms.. Keith was disgusted with himself. 

He was muscular, but not as strong as he should be. He was small and pale and weak, and everyone knew it, even if they hadn't seen him naked. 

He took a deep breath and started pumping water with the handle next to the tub. The water was reasonably warm, obviously heated by a fire somewhere else in this building and brought here with pipes. His own bath was more luxurious, of course. Perk of being royalty. 

He stepped into the tub and sat down, sighing as the warm water relaxed his muscles. That was nice. Don't get him wrong, he loved horseriding. But two days in the saddle gave you a very stiff back. He leaned back and closed his eyes, nearly falling asleep in the light of a flickering candle.

The words he'd said nearly two minutes ago gave Lance a boost of confidence while going down the stairs, because a peasant like him having ordered a prince and gotten away with it was more rare than hunting a unicorn. This would have meant a motive of praise and celebration for his extreme against the system family, if they were there. 

He spent between half and one hour in the loud ocean of people drinking and laughing, invited a few ladies - and men - to a beer to try and dig out information, but he wasn't getting more than the basics; a small group with dark uniforms had made their way to the market for supplies, most of them had left, but a few assured they'd seen at least one staying at that same inn, who claimed to be aiming taking down a tyrannic king. 

Well, that was something, but he couldn't check room by room until he found this rebel, so he kept doing what he did best; drink and chat. Be nice to people, adapt to their personality, dig out the gold.  
He wished that worked with the prince though.

He'd also been told a village celebration would take place the day after, where these communists would give speeches against slavery and other, related things Lance didn't agree with either. How could a rebel let that pass without participating, or at least witnessing it?

A tad dizzy and red from all those drinks, the brunette walked up the stairs and slowly opened the door of their room. But Keith wasn't there, and his eyes widened instantly. 

"Your highness?" he asked to the air while looking around with a weight of worry on his chest, feeling cold to the bone. He hadn't been away that long, could Keith had been taken? 

He caught a glimpse of light coming out from the bathroom, and not really thinking straight (ha) he pushed slightly it open.

He didn't see much beyond black wet hair and white skin, but it was enough to make him blush and shut the door again as quickly as he could. "Ah- ¡Perdón! I'm so sorry!" he apologized with a hand on his face before sitting against the room door again.   
He was truly an idiot, and this would for sure get him hanged.

The water sprang over the side of the tub as Keith scrambled to cover himself. He hadn't heard Lance enter the room, and only looked up as the door to the bathroom creaked open. Oh god. 

Shit. He should have realised Lance would get a drink and maybe lose his common sense. He reached for a clean towel, stood up and dried himself off quickly. 

And after slipping back into his own clothes, brushing his hair back and checking how he looked in the mirror, he opened the door, a neutral expression on his face. Maybe they should just forget that had happened. That brought him back to their earlier.. disagreement. 

Lance was convinced the Prince was over emotional because he couldn't stand being touched. Was he wrong? No. Would Keith tell him about it? Definitely not. It would ruin his reputation, and that wasn't too great to begin with. 

But on the other hand, he really didn't want to disappoint Lance again. He had seemed so happy this afternoon, when Keith finally confided in him, even if it was just a little. It had been more open than Keith had been in years, to anyone beside Shiro. Maybe even more than Shiro. 

Besides that, Keith had enjoyed.. He'd enjoyed it when Lance flirted with him, even if the boy meant nothing by it or was just teasing him. No one ever flirted with him. It made him feel... desired, for once. He hadn't felt like that ever before. 

Could he just ignore everything that happened and pretend to be okay? He could try. He took a deep breath and smiled softly at Lance. "The door doesn't lock," he said, in an attempt at humor. "So, did you find anything?"

Lance looked up at the prince, his face still red - he couldn't tell if it was because of what he'd seen or the ridiculously exaggerated amount of alcohol he'd ingested -, and caught that honest, kind smile. If he'd seen it earlier that day he couldn't remember between all the clashing and fighting, but seeing it now, after their previous disagreement, made him smile slightly as well. 

At least he didn't seem mad or upset at the moment. 

"Yeah, I did. Had to invite many people to shots though." He laughed vaguely and leaned his head back on the door, each hand resting on his raised knees, then lowered his tone so only Keith and no one else around could hear. 

"The group was here, got supplies and left, they're probably camping somewhere near the village. But there's a man staying here, with a face of little friends, according to people, who claims to make his land a better place... By taking down the king. Rumours fly.   
I also heard the village's hosting a revolution party tomorrow afternoon and people are all over it to make speeches, perhaps we'll find our guy there," he finished his report and closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against his hand afterwards. 

His head spun, and the loud music and talking from the bar had left a hideous beep in his ears. Ah, that would be a tough night, and an ever more terrible morning.   
Plus, due to laying against the door, the cold from outside making it's way under it would have him shivering. But he preferred that, anything, if it meant he didn't sleep inches from the prince and made him go through that pain again.

Keith nodded softly. That was the best they could hope for. "We should go there tomorrow, look around. Might find our mystery guy. But for now, go to sleep. I.." He hesitated. The ground looked really uncomfortable, but there was nowhere else. 

Keith couldn't offer Lance the bed. And they definitely couldn't share it. Besides the fact that it was wildly inappropriate, Keith just couldn't lay that close to another human being, even if it was Lance. 

He bit his lip and looked from Lance to the bed. "Take the blankets," he told the hunter. "You can take the blankets, and I'll sleep on the bed. Yes." He took a deep breath and nodded to himself. Yes. That would work. Next time, they'd get two beds if possible. 

He felt bad, somewhere deep inside, for letting Lance sleep on the floor while drunk for working on their mission, but there was very little he could do about it. "Take the pillows too," he added, after taking one look at the hardwooden floor.

Still pressing his forehead tightly, Lance opened his eyes and looked at the prince again. Ha. "No." No way he would do that, Keith would be cold without blankets. He'd lost count of how many times he'd rejected his commands so bluntly now, as well. 

"People will leave and this place will grow cold, you need that. But... I guess I can take one and you'll be alright," he thought out loud, the vocals in his words already starting to slur against each other. 

With effort he got up, swayed slightly and walked to take the blanket on top, only to go sit in his corner again.   
"Thanks. I'm fine," he repeated, wrapping himself in the fluffy material - though the sensation of being high made him feel like he was boiling alive-. 

"I'lll sstay watch for a bit, yyou sleep," he told him, eyes half lidded. Lance, you're not in the wilds, you're in an inn, his rational side whispered him. But he didn't feel comfortable enough to be the first one to fall asleep, like usual. Not that Keith stood a chance to actually hurt him while he slept, but it was hard to get rid of old habits. 

That wasn't good enough. Lance would hurt his back like this. It was bad enough that he would wake up hungover, he didn't want him to hurt as well. Well, he'd have to do it himself then. 

He grabbed the thick blanket from his bed and dragged it off, laying it beside Lance on the floor. He wouldn't refuse his orders again. He also grabbed one of the pillows and lay it on the blanket. 

"Get on," he told Lance. "Get on. You're drunk." When Lance didn't move immediately, he pushed his foot against the boy's leg. "Come on. I am not taking them back." 

He sighed and crawled onto the bed. Too bad he didn't have any sleepwear, but clean clothes weren't his priority now. It wasn't cold yet anyway, he didn't need blankets. So he lay his head down on the pillow and tried to fall asleep. 

So much had happened today, and so much would happen tomorrow. All he could do was try to keep up, don't get killed, and take back control over Lance. What had gotten into him? Why was he suddenly so.. so bold? 

Lance had always been bolder than the usual servants, and Keith liked that about him. He wasn't afraid, not so much at least. Was it going too far? No, Keith decided. It fit him. He was hot, and cute, and protective. And Lance. And that's the name that spun through his head as he fell asleep, smiling softly.

Being lost in his aching, dizzy head, Lance didn't notice what the prince was doing until he spoke and tapped his leg. He grumbled weakly, too low for Keith to really care, and muttered an even lower; "I'm nnot, drunk," in response. 

He'd said no, he didn't want to succumb to the royal's orders right now, in his grumpy state. Lance had many other drunk sides, but we'll leave that for another day. Right now? Grumpy, so hot-headed in both ways that minutes and minutes passed of him keeping his eyes open, fighting the pain and resisting the temptation of falling asleep until he was sure Keith was sleeping. 

He wasn't sure if it was real or not, but in a moment he saw Blue landing on the open window to watch over them for a while. Then, and only then, he closed his eyes.  
It didn't take long until he opened again though, due to the uncomfortable position he still was in. 

Grumbling once more, he let himself fall to his side on the improvised bed Keith had built for him. It was soft and comfy, much for his grumpiness, and he fell asleep again.

As fast as he did, he awoke once more later in the night. He was forced to get up half asleep and close the window due to the intense snowing outside. Between feeling sick and noticing his stomach fighting to digest all that alcohol, he catched the prince shivering on the bed, completely asleep. He knew it. 

He took one of his blankets - which still held his body warmth - and gently placed it and tucked it around him before going back to his place and wrapping himself in the remaining blanket. After a long, long night for him, between nightmares he managed to fall asleep, and with the sun rised he was so tired he hid his face with the blanket to avoid waking up.

Keith was alone at first. He was standing in one of the hallways of his vast castle, and everyone had mysteriously vanished. He was cold. The ceilings were gone, and snow was slowly filling up the hallway. It covered his feet, then his legs, then he was sinking deeper and deeper. He was suffocating, and it was so cold. Until.. 

A hand grabbed his, and someone pulled him out, away from the snow. Lance. Keith smiled gratefully as Lance wrapped his strong arms around the Prince in a tight embrace.   
It was like nothing Keith had felt before. It didn't.. It didn't hurt, no matter how much skin Lance touched. And it was a lot. 

Lance was shirtless again, and he looked hot. Keith smiled in his sleep and rolled over as the dream evolved into something that involved a lot of touching and Keith had rarely dreamed about before. 

It took a long, long time before he woke up, the warm sunlight tickling his face. He yawned widely, stretching his body, and opened his eyes. For a moment, he thought he was home. But the blankets were too thin, the air was too cold, and he didn't have an unconscious boy in his chambers back home. 

He was laying under a blanket. How had that gotten there? Lance, obviously. Stupid selfless shit. He sat up against the head of the bed, pulled the blanket over his waist and looked down at Lance.   
God, he looked cute like this. All sleepy and drooly. And then the boy covered his face to hide from the sun, and Keith couldn't suppress a giggle. Shit, he was cute.   
Most of Lance's body was hidden underneath the blanket, but his strong shoulders were visible through his shirt. God, he was beautiful. And there it was again, that creepy staring Keith couldn't stop himself from doing.

No matter how hard he shut his eyes closed, the inevitable light made it's way through the blanket and his eyelids. Fucking sun. 

Still half asleep he wondered if the adorable giggle he'd heard had been real as he yawned and pulled down the blanket, rubbed his eyes, yawned again and rolled to his other side.

Wait, that giggle had been real, and he wasn't alone nor at home. He turned to see the prince over his shoulder with wide eyes, and there he was, staring at him with a smile. God no. 

Feeling the heat crawling up his cheeks, he hurried to wipe the drool from his mouth and try to brush down his messy bed curly hair. This was so freaking embarrasing. For this and other reasons he preferred to wake up first. 

"G-good morning... Your highness," he muttered shyly and sat up with effort, closing his eyes at the stinging pain in his head. Ouch. Just how much did he drink last night? Enough to make him have a bad time, but not enough to... make him forget. 

He was sure it wasn't a dream, that Keith had been gentle and caring with him, so much to give up his blankets and pillows. Right... The prince was kind, and he'd shown to care about him. 

With a soft blush on his cheeks he turned to see him again, a smile brightening his face. "Thank you... for being so generous."

Now it was Keith's turn to blush. Shit. Why was Lance remembering that? He'd been absolutely hammered. At least, that's what Keith had thought. 

Keith himself had a good tolerance for alcohol, having been drinking it since he was twelve. There were rarely any parties, but a glass at dinner each night build up your resistance quite well. 

He turned away, trying to hide his blush, and nodded softly. "Ah, yes. Good morning. Thank you for..." He raised his blanket to show what Lance had done. "I assume, at least, that it was you? You were pretty.. I mean, very drunk last night." Why did he use the word pretty? This wasn't the time to tell Lance how pretty he was. Stop it, Keith. You haven't even been awake for five minutes and you're already embarrassing yourself. Great. 

"How are you feeling?" He swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked at Lance again. It was impossible to divert his gaze for longer than a minute. This boy was just irresistible. Every time Keith looked at him he just felt... blessed. Blessed by his beauty. 

"You look rather well for the amount of alcohol you consumed last night." He raised his eyebrow, but a soft smile curved his lips.

"First, yeah, that was me. You looked like you were freezing so don't worry about it," Lance replied kindly to his... third(?) sign of gratitude, totally shook by the smile the prince still held on his - gorgeous, light pink, meaty and soft looking - lips.   
It made his heart jump, like no other women or men had ever done. Why? 

Yeah, the prince was gorgeous, beautifully so, and he knew he was kind as well, but he was still the prince. He couldn't... He couldn't crush on the prince. He'd be hanged. Princes don't date servant boys, Lance. Get that shit out of your mind. 

But still... The day before Keith had checked him out, and the day before that, and he'd made him blush. Maybe...? No, Lance, stop.  
Or don't. Whatever the river throws at you. Ah... Now he was asking about his well being. He truly was-- Lance. No. 

"Believe me, my head hurts like a bitch," he admitted with a soft chuckle, which only increased the trobbing pain and made him press a hand to it.   
"Ow... But I'll manage.. I've been drinking for a while."   
Most of it on parties. The loud, messy village parties he always attended. He was the heart and soul of them after all, and made sure people have a great time. 

"Thanks for caring... I really appreciate it," he added truthfully for the prince, analizing him for a bit. He himself still had messy hair and eyebags probably, not that the prince's wild mullet was all over, but... 

"You've just waken up yet you're as gorgeous as always, is that a prince perk as well or is it just you?" he let out smoothly with a smirk, leaning his head against a fist, elbow on one knee. So this was where the river threw him. 

That was too much. Way too much. Keith flushed bright red, not only his face but his neck as well, and stood nailed to the ground. Lance had just.. Yes. He had definitely just called him gorgeous. 

Maybe it was just a dream. Was he awake yet? But no, that cheeky smirk told Keith all he needed to know. Maybe he was- 

"Are you still drunk?" he asked accusitorily. If Lance wasn't drunk, he was messing with his feelings, which was even worse. The thought that Lance actually found him beautiful was too ridiculous to even consider.   
Sure, some people liked people with pale skin. Some people may even like his dark hair and weird eyes. But no one could ever truly like Keith as a whole, right? And definitely not Lance. Not beautiful, perfect, hot Lance. Impossible. 

Keith hoped he was still drunk. The idea of Lance saying these things just to play with his heart was terrifying, mostly because it was working.   
The way Lance looked at him, it made his heart jump wildly in his chest. He tried to get it to stop, but his body was out of his control. 

Even hung over, Lance was absolutely stunning. Not that he'd ever say something like that. He couldn't if he wanted to. He wasn't smooth and flirty like Lance. He was Keith. The only way someone would be with him was through an arranged marriage. 

Thinking of, Keith wás getting married. He definitely couldn't get involved in any way with someone other than -shudder- Lotor. He got up from the bed and turned away to pull on his shoes and hide his face from Lance. This was wildly inappropriate.

Lance could do little more but bit his lip to avoid chuckling in pure adoration. He'd never seen the prince so flustered, so beautifully flustered, and it was because of him. Indeed, red suited him the best. 

"I'm not drunk, I'm hungover. But it's just me talking right now, not alcohol, I'm serious," he remarked softly, getting up of the improvised bed afterwards and placing the blanket and pillow on the bed, right next to Keith, to try and catch his attention. 

"I know it's inappropiate for me to say, my Prince, but... How do you expect me not to, when you're incredibly handsome?" he revealed yet another thought with cherry red on his cheeks, walking backwards to the bathroom. 

"I think it's worth taking risks. You are worth it. I'll shower so we can take a look at the village, alright?" Feeling his face more and more warm, he shut the door closed - or tried to, since it didn't lock - And finally breathed again.

Ok, he was overstepping so freaking much right now, internally screaming. He quickly took his clothes off and got into the clean water, rather cold, so he'd get rid of the pain of the hangover sooner, but also to cool himself down after all that. He'd practically asked him out, did that count as a date? Lance, stop.

Oh my god. Oh my god. What was he doing? What was Lance trying to do? Was he just messing with him? Was he trying to bed him? Keith had never had anyone try to get into his pants before. But.. Something told him that Lance wasn't stupid enough to think he'd be able to get Keith to let him touch him for real. No, never.   
Maybe not never, but not soon. 

Keith didn't want anyone to touch him, not even Lance. Not even after that... inappropriate dream he'd had last night. 

But then what was Lance doing? He was shamelessly flirting with the Prince, risking his neck. Because make no mistake, acting that way in front of royalty would cause most people to get executed.   
But Keith was 'worth it', apparently. It made no sense. He pulled his knees up and listened to the splashing water in the bathroom. 

Lance was naked right now. 

Wait, no. Don't think about that. Don't think about the cold water streaming over his muscled body, his tan skin. Every curve perfect, from the lines on his back to those beautiful abs. And just below that.. 

Keith's eyes widened and he grabbed a pillow to put it over his lap. Nonono. Not now. Don't think about that now, Keith. Just.. Think about what it would actually feel like if Lance touched you. 

It would be excruciatingly painful. You wouldn't like it. It wouldn't feel like magic, his strong hands gripping you tightly and keeping him down while.. Shit.   
This wasn't working. It just made him more.. more turned on. What was wrong with him? It was just a compliment. Don't overreact.   
But how to tell his dick that?

While letting the cold water soothe his body temperature and boiling head, the hunter finally processed what had happened. Why was he doing that? Simple.  
Because he was, eventually, attracted to the prince.

Maybe he'd always had, since the moment he saw him in majestic grace riding a horse, or the first day of his job, when he caught him brushing his horses' mane, or all those times he saw him alone in the halls, or laughing with the commander. 

That goddamn smile, had followed him everywhere. No matter how hard he tried to convince himself of their bad attitude, everything they'd done to his people. 

But now he knew Keith had nothing to do with that, he could never. How? If he was generous and kind and smart and caring.

Yeah, he was attracted to him, the real Keith he still had to discover. He longed to. That's why he was trying.

After drying himself off he took a look in the mirror; his chest and arms were covered in scars, from each time he'd been attacked by animals, attempted to be robbed on the streets, fights with other boys. But the greatest of all remained on his back. And that had been thanks to the king.

He didn't want to remember it. 

He quickly pulled his change clothes, which consisted on very dark blue pants, a light cyan blouse and-- right, the vest he'd lent to Keith. Now that they were in the village he could buy him something else. Yeah, good idea.   
Would Keith appreciate it? He wasn't sure, but he hoped so. 

He went out with his hair still halfway wet and looked at the prince, who seemed uncomfortable for some reason, or at least not like himself, perhaps due to his previous flirting? 

"Hi." He greeted him again with a smile, heading to take the vest from the floor and tie it. "Are you ready? The place isn't that crowded at this hour, so it'll be fine. We can have breakfast down first though."

Now Lance was doing exactly what Keith had done before. Pretending it never happened. Did he want Keith to think he'd made it all up? It made no sense. Why would Lance say something like that? 

But at least that stupid blush was gone, and the things in his pants were quieting down too. Good. He wasn't sure what he'd have done if Lance saw that. It would have been beyond embarrassing. Beyond shameful. 

He slowly lay the pillow aside, got up and nodded, grabbing his cloak to pull it over his shoulders. "Yes. We should. Have breakfast." Great. Now he couldn't even speak normally. What was wrong with him? 

Deep down he knew that this was only hitting him this hard because he liked Lance so much. Because he was even more attracted to Lance, than the hunter allegedly to him. Lance was breathtaking. Stupid asshole. 

He straightened his back and preceeded Lance out of the room, down the stairs. Try to blend in, Keith. The strange rebel may still be here. Get your head out of the clouds and back to the mission. You'll get killed if you don't pay attention.

He sat down at the first table he saw, letting Lance do the ordering. He wasn't good at that anyway.

After ordering, Lance took a look around the local; only a few men and couples were chatting at a table, the rest was mostly empty. None of them looked like a suspect, but he'd still keep his eyes wide open. 

He payed, took their order and headed to place it on the table before sitting down. "Scrambled eggs and bacon for the soul, and 'passion' fruit juice, for your heart," he said with a wink before starting to eat, just as a slight reminder for the prince that, nope, his game was far from over. In fact, this was just the beginning. 

"So, what's your favourite meal?" he asked, casually shifting his loverboy act to a friendly conversation.

Keith focused intently on his food, taking a bite and buying as much time as he could while chewing. Don't embarrass yourself in front of him again. Don't do it. 

"My favourite... meal. Right. I don't.. I don't have a favourite meal." Sure, everything they cooked at the castle was alright, but it wasn't like he looked forward to certain things. 

He narrowed his eyes a little and bit his lip. "I guess I like.. chicken?" He hadn't meant for that to sound like a question. Fuck, he was fucking it up. Again.   
"And just.. I appreciate a good wine." 

Why was he having so many issues with just talking? He used to be eloquent, rich in words. Now he sounded like a commoner. Even worse. He just.. Lance made his mind spin almost as fast as his heart, and he couldn't even form one coherent sentence. Shit. How was he supposed to finish the mission like this? 

"What about you?" he asked, taking a sip of that wonderful passion fruit juice Lance had bought him. It tasted amazing, fresh. Sweet. Like Lance. Wow, no. Don't think of how Lance tastes.

Good wine. What Lance had brought him yesterday wasn't, because he didn't have enough money to spend it on something like rich class wine. He'd noticed by the way Keith had eaten, different from how he ate in the castle. 

Well, at least he'd looked less tense, because there was no way the rest of the fucking shithead royals could humiliate him there. He really hated them. 

"Me?" He was asking about him? ....Aw. Right, he cared.  
Or maybe he was just trying to make conversation, like himself. Whatever the reason. "Mm, I guess I like salmon, and... milk." Yup, alcohol was good and all, but milk brought him childhood memories, good ones. 

"You see, my family has the richest cows in the village, you wouldn't believe how good their milk is! And my mom makes--" 

He froze, his smile slowly shrinking, until it was nothing but a shaky line. 

"...Made, very good whipped cream.. with it," he muttered, looking down at his breakfast. Ah, and this is why we don't ramble, Lance. You can end up hurting yourself. You always do. 

He probably looked like a completely different person now without his characteristic joy all over, so he forced a smile back up.   
"Uhm- you... love riding, right? What's your horses' name?" He strangled the words out of his throat before continuing to eat at a quicker pace.

"Her name is Kosmo," Keith said slowly. He knew Lance's mother was a difficult subject, but he couldn't help but be curious. And just like Lance had pressured him to open up about his... issues, Keith wanted to do the same. 

"Tell me about your mother," he said, but it wasn't an order. It was a request, an opportunity. He wanted to give Lance the chance to be open. He obviously had trouble keeping his emotions away at the subject. 

Keith knew his mother was sick. Lance had told him so the first time they went riding together. And then Keith had taken off without explanation, just because he couldn't keep it together at the mention of a mother. That wouldn't happen again. He wanted to be there for Lance, at least a little. If he was gonna bond with this boy, they would do it properly. 

But he was also scared. What if Lance didn't want to talk about it? What if he hated Keith for bringing it up? He forced his eyes up, into Lance's, and gave him an encouraging smile. He just wanted to know. Maybe.. Maybe there was something he could do to help. Maybe.

Lance almost choked with food at the request, and swallowed the juice with difficulty. Anything, he could've answered anything else about his past, present, darkest secrets, even about the thief. But... That? He wasn't sure he could. But he would try, for the prince. Imagine it's an order, and you have to obey. Obey. 

"...Well, she... Her name is Rosa. She's... a very kind woman, the kindest.... you'll ever encounter. Everyone in the village loves her. She's-- she was, radiant." Ah, he'd just started and he'd already teared up, but he kept his eyes on his plate. 

"...But when I was six she started to tire up more... Then she... wasn't strong enough to lift me... And one day she just- fell-" His weak voice broke, and he bit his lip in a desperate attempt to hold the tears blurrying his sight from falling. 

"S-she has a degenerative bone illness her family has always carried... Some even say it's a curse from the witches," he laughed vaguely, his lips quivering nonstop. "S-so she's not strong enough to stand... Or move.... Or-or talk?" 

He broke. He couldn't keep a straight face anymore, and thick tears started rolling down his cheeks as his fists clenched on his knees. 

"W-we've tried to get help, but since it's a weird case the doctors don't know how to help... Sometimes I-I can't even tell if s-she's-" he sobbed, unable to stop the tears from falling, his quivering body to stop. It hurt. It hurt to say it out loud. 

He wanted to run and leave in a random direction, but leaving the prince alone in the open would be too risky. "S-sorry...! I just-" he tried to stop his shaky sobbing, pulling his hood over his face.

Oh shit. Keith had messed up. He'd messed up really badly. And he had no idea how to fix it. What could he do? "I.. I'm so sorry," he said, looking anywhere but those tearsoaked eyes. He couldn't bear to see that beauty dripping from his cheeks. 

"I didn't mean to.. I'm.." Fuck. He should never have started this. What to do, what to do? Okay. Just do something, anything. His hand slowly reached over the table and found Lance's. He didn't even think about pain from contact. He just wanted to comfort this boy, in any way he could. 

"I'm sorry about your mother, Lance," he whispered, giving his hand a soft squeeze. "And I'm sorry for making you.." He finally looked up, his heart breaking at the expression on Lance's face. This was his fault. He should never have started the subject. He shouldn't have tried to bond. Just as he'd suspected, it would only cause pain to the both of them. 

As soon as he thought about pain, his hand began to burn, as though he was holding it in a fire, and he pulled back quickly. Shit. Why was he such an idiot?

The sobbing mess could barely hear the prince's words between all his crying, that wasn't loud, but the storm it'd created inside him was striking his feelings mercilessly. 

But he was touched, somehow found beneath layers and layers of pain, by... Keith? Why was Keith...? He needed to compose himself, he didn't want Keith forcing himself to go that far due his petty crying. He wasn't a kid anymore, he'd been through this all his life. He shouldn't cry. 

The times he accidentally broke in front of his mother, a single tear rolled down her expressionless face. She was always listening, feeling, even. She must've been in so much pain without even being able to scream. He didn't have the right to cry. 

He shook his head, stuffed the remaining breakfast on his mouth, swallowed the juice and furiously tried to wipe the tears off his face, soaking his sleeves in the process. 

"It's okay... It's okay," he finally muttered, still getting rid of the tears that just wouldn't stop falling. He was about to apologize, for... stealing in the castle. But he didn't want to damp the mood even more. Maybe some other day... He'd trust him enough with that. 

"It's ok... You didn't make me, I chose to." After sniffing he finally looked him in the eyes, with the tiniest smile possible, then back at his hand. "...You didn't have to," he said, caressing his own hand as if he could still feel his soft, gentle touch if he tried hard enough.

Keith stared at his hand in disbelief for a moment. Had he just... Yes. He had willingly touched someone. He had touched Lance. And for a moment, he'd been fine with it.   
That was... interesting. Very interesting. 

He hid his hands under the table and looked up at Lance again. "It's.. I didn't.." He didn't really know what to say. Emotions weren't his strong point, and talking about them definitely wasn't. 

"Thank you, for telling me. And.. I hope.." He couldn't say he wished for Lance's mother to get better. If she couldn't, it would be incredibly painful. He couldn't really offer his help either. Why had he started this subject again? Stupid Keith. 

He quickly finished his breakfast, which didn't taste too bad, and drank the juice. And now he'd have to somehow get rid of that uncomfortable silence. Just ignore what had happened again? It seemed to work the last time. 

"At what time does the party start? What should we do until the time's there?" He had unconsciously given all command of the mission to Lance. The boy knew more about everything except court culture, and you didn't really need that here. Lance knew how to talk to people. He knew how to hunt, how to perform basic tasks, how to get a room in a fucking inn. 

Keith couldn't do any of that. All Keith could do was use the right fork at dessert and point to any country on a map. His sword was left abandoned with the horses, so he could barely fight. Shiro had been complaining about his hand to hand combat skills for a while now. Maybe he should have listened. 

I hope. Lance almost wanted to laugh at that, but he knew Keith only meant well with each word, and he was really trying. That was more than enough. 

By the time he was asked the questions his body still jerked with sobbs from time to time due to forcing himself to stop instead of letting all out, but he could manage, and he would. 

"Afternoon, right outside in the center of the village. It seems... Youknowwho hasn't digned to appear, or he's already outside, so... in the meantime, I thought we could get supplies too." He said while putting his gloves on. 

"Or maybe I just want to hang out with you and show you around." He smiled, got up, waved to the barman and motioned Keith to go outside. "I'll make you like peasant lifestyle, for sure."


	14. That Dating Scene™

It was magnificent, the way Lance could change from deeply emotional to flirty tease in just a few seconds, but Keith wasn't complaining. He couldn't bear to listen to the boy's crying, to see those tears. Maybe they'd figure it out together someday, but for now Keith was just happy being with this boy, seeing him smile. 

And so he pulled his hood over his face, afraid anyone would recognise him, and followed Lance outside. His gaze was pulled immediately from that wild, short hair to the way his back moved and arched with every step, and his hips.. Wait, no. No more thoughts about Lance's body. That was quite enough. 

He walked through the swung open door, into the cold square. It was too early for it to be really busy, but some people were already setting up some kind of wooden platform, and a few children were playing in a corner. It was cold, but not too much so.   
Though, Keith would have preferred to wear a proper vest. Too bad his own was obscenely bejuweled. He couldn't wear that out here. The red and gold would immediately grab everyone's attention, them being the signature colours of Daibazaal. 

He turned to Lance, and raised an eyebrow, finally realising what he'd said. "The peasant lifestyle? What's that supposed to mean?" Keith was okay with it, he trusted Lance. As long as he didn't have to milk any cows or anything like that. And he wasn't hanging out with kids.   
Keith didn't understand kids. They were so loud and touchy and emotional. Everything Keith wasn't. 

He bit his lip and looked around warily. He didn't see anyone suspicious, but he also didn't know who they were looking for.

Lance laughed as the prince just now seemed to process his words. "Chill, no milking cows. Just follow me." 

Every part of his body impulsed him to hold his hand, his warm, soft, slightly smaller hand, and pull him along and hold him close for... better protection, only, of course. But he knew he couldn't do that, so he'd have to adjust with what he had. 

They started walking, Lance looking around and asking people for directions from time to time, until they made their way to the village's market; A sea of tents and canopies, endless rows of stalls finally appeared in front of them, making Lance thrill with excitement. It would be crowded later for sure, but right now there was plenty of space to walk through. 

"Let's go!" he motioned to Keith, smiling, his red swollen eyes now completely back to normal. "You may like it, they sell everything you can imagine.... even things you don't have, things you've never seen, despite, y'know..." Being a prince.

Keith smiled fondly and followed him through the streets, where stall vendors were getting ready for the day. The smell of fish and something sweet drifted through the air, made Keith a little lightheaded. That was strong. He just hoped they would be able to get out of here once it got busier. 

But Lance looked so happy, completely in his element, so Keith let himself get dragged along, despite not even holding hands. 

"I doubt it," he told the enthusiastic boy. He'd seen things from all over the world. All kinds of food and juwelty and silks and everything fancy. Then again, they didn't really sell fancy things here. This was what normal people bought. 

The sun was eating away at the thin layer of snow that had fallen that night. It would be a warm day, but for now it was still chilly. 

"I have quite a lot of things," he joked. It wasn't a lie. Keith had everything he could ever wish for. Except basic dignity, of course. 

Why was it so hard to keep his eyes off the back of Lance? The boy wasn't looking at him for now and Keith used that opportunity to stare unashamedly. It didn't matter that it was hidden behind a cloak, it didn't matter that they were going too fast for him to get a good look. He knew how it looked without clothes, and that image stood out clearly in his mind.   
Lance, washing himself in the river, water cascading off of- Don't. Stop it, Keith. He pulled his eyes away from the boy and looked around. 

It was quite... picturesque, the whole town. Cute, maybe. His hood slipped down due to their fast pace, but Keith didn't notice nor care. All that was important was Lance, right here at this moment.

The hunter kept looking through the multiple tents while listening to Keith, making a poker face at his statement. "Ha ha, no way." 'I've seen it. I've been in your room,' he thought, but didn't say it out loud. 

"You'll want something, I'm sure." A moment later he turned to smile at him over his shoulder, and once more, he caught him on the spot. 

Wow. Keith was impossible. He knew he was addictive, but not this much. He stopped and turned to him with a raised eyebrow, a funny smile and slowly raised his hands to the hood he'd lent him, to gently placed it over his raven hair once more. It was just an excuse to approach him, and get the closest of angles from his beautiful features. Pff. 

The prince was incredibly short for a prince, or maybe he was too tall. Perhaps both. He wasn't sure how many seconds had passed with him staring and smiling, but his eyes drifted away by the sound of a woman humming a song. 

Following the sound, he found a stall of an artist, full of landscapes and portraits and beautiful pieces. Not only she sold art tools, but she was working right now, moving the brush across the canvas. Lance finally let go of his cloak and motioned Keith to walk there with him.

Keith stood nailed to the spot for a few seconds after Lance had run away. This boy just kept amazing him with his boldness. He'd caught Keith staring, again. And then he'd just... He'd come so close. Closer than Keith would have let anyone else. And somehow, it didn't make him feel uncomfortable. That was good news. 

And then he hurried after Lance. The hunter was standing just behind a sitting woman, who was working her magic on a large canvas. She was painting. That certainly grabbed Keith's attention.   
He quickly made his way over to them, and stopped next to Lance, only a foot or two between them, though not as close as Lance had just come. He wasn't a savage. 

The woman was talented, definitely, and Keith was entranced by the elegant movements of her brush. She was painting a portrait of a young girl, who smiled sweetly up from the canvas. It was.. good. 

Keith would kill for canvas and brushes like those, but he would never be able to hide them from his father. Countless sketchbooks had already fallen into the King's hands and had been destroyed. Some of Keith's best work had ended up in a fireplace, or torn to pieces on the carpet of his father's office.

It was a miracle that he'd been able to keep this one hidden for so long. He was quite proud of some of the sketches in it.   
And of course, the many drawings of Lance, which were incredibly inappropriate. Not that the drawings in itself were weird, but the fact that he'd drawn some stranger's face over and over again, filling entire pages. That was weird. 

He stood behind the woman, staring at her work for a long time. So talented. And then he looked around a bit. 

She sold all sorts of things. Canvas, paint, tools and brushes, and pencils. Those weren't too difficult to hide. He strode over and examined them more closely. Oh, these were actually really nice. He smiled to himself, thinking of the things he could do with different shades of pencil. And then he turned back to Lance. "Do you want to continue?" he asked casually.

Lance, who'd been observing and taking in the prince's admiration for - how long now, fifteen, thirty minutes? Minutes of absolute bliss - finally approached him with a raised eyebrow. 

"Mm, I don't think you do." He looked at the expensive looking tools, probably for being carved from a rare tree and the graphite treated with care, and then back at the woman. Keith's expression right now was just... hypnotizing, as hypnotizing as he'd been while looking at the artist do her magic.

He was pretty sure he'd been staring at him just the same way, as if with a beautiful piece of art. Well, he was, after all. "Pardon me, miss? Can I get these?" he asked, pointing at the different pencils. 

The woman stopped painting and nodded, got up, got into her stand and packed the materials in a bag before giving it to him, who was already giving her the coins without waiting for Keith's reaction. "I won't return it, so take it," he stated, giving the Prince the pack of pencils.

Keith didn't react at first. What was he doing? Every single thing Lance did was a complete surprise. He couldn't figure this boy out, and he liked it. 

But what was Lance doing? Keith had plenty of money himself, he didn't need gifts. The pencils weren't cheep, Lance needed that money. If he was the thief, even more so. 

But it would be rude to turn down a gift. So he took the package with narrowed eyes, and led Lance away from the stand into a more silent corner, where no one could hear him. 

"Why did you give me this?" he asked, his tone almost accusatorily. Was this part of Lance's plan to mess with his feelings? Did he want to insult the Prince by paying for him? Did he expect his money back?   
"You know I can pay for myself. And I'm paying you back for that." He fumbled in his pockets for his money, and then scrunged up his face. Shit. He'd left it with the horses. 

"I'm paying you back as soon as I can." He needed to be independent, couldn't rely on anyone to buy him things. Even if he really, really wanted them, like these gorgeous new pencils... 

Yes, he could already imagine using them, drawing the most beautiful things. His sketchbook was hidden in the bag hanging from his shoulder, but he couldn't draw until he was alone. No way he'd let Lance see his drawings. That was private. Besides, it would be creepy if he saw his own face on Keith's pages. 

He gently put Lance's present in his bag, and blushed softly. Lance had bought him something, as a gift.

Lance stood with crossed arms as the prince looked for his money to no avail. He'd already guessed he didn't carry money around, he'd been the one to pay everything at this village and Keith hadn't complained. Plus, he doubted the prince had normal coins instead of gold and silver ones, that would give his identity away. 

He stared at him with a poker face until he finally saved the pencils in his bag, then rolled his eyes once he got his attention. "Don't be so difficult, your highness. I know you could buy the entire village and the people in it if you wanted to, but that doesn't mean I can't be nice," he shrugged. "...I wanted to get you something you áctually liked, so you'd have a reminder of me when I'm not around. I don't want your money, it's a gift." He smiled kindly. 

The brunette wondered if the prince had ever recieved something he actually liked as a gift, so much like those pencils. Of course, they were expensive, and that cost him at least a month of hard work, but... The look on the prince's face? Priceless, totally worth it.   
"Come, we have things yet to see."

Keith bit his lip and looked down, still blushing. Why was he so goddamn sensitive? It was embarrassing how much he blushed. Lance barely had to say his name and he became a tomato. And now he'd bought him a gift. 

Was this what normal people did on dates? Keith had no idea. He'd never been on a date before, if this even was one. It wasn't like he could just ask people out in the Castle, even if there was someone he liked. 

He smiled to himself as Lance ran off and followed him immediately, thinking of the crushes he'd had. There hadn't been many. 

His first crush, Shiro. He'd been about ten, eleven, and Shiro was so tough and handsome and protective. And ten year old Keith had admired him like a hero. Luckily, that fase had passed. It was wildly inappropriate, especially because Shiro was like a brother to him now. He'd told him, and Shiro had laughed and teased him about it forever. 

And then, a few years later, there was this merchant. Rolo. Turns out he was a total conman, and he'd taken off with some of the most important pieces of treasure in their castle, and Keith's broken heart.   
Yeah, he'd played teen Keith like a fiddle. And when his father had found out... He was half glad the boy had gotten away. No matter how treacherous, he wouldn't be able to watch his execution. 

Just like with Lance. Only Lance wasn't a bad person. Lance was kind, and caring, and beautiful, and elegant. And just.. perfect. Keith smiled as he watched the boy push his way through the slowly gathering crowd, but it wasn't too busy for Keith to have to touch anyone. And he was glad to go anywhere Lance wanted to take him. He trusted the boy, thief or not. 

The hunter spent most of the morning showing Keith around the tents filled with crafted wood, clothes, jewelery, cards, weapons, flowers, food, books... 

Next to a store, a little girl had been crying because some mean kids stole her new novel. Luckily, that was Lance's favourite book, and he knew it by heart, therefore he took twenty minutes to narrate her the story of the brave and bold Robin Hood, how he robbed the rich and gave to the poor. Sounds familiar? 

Back to the present, he'd bought himself and the Prince hot cocoa with cream just a bit ago, and now that they headed down the village he caught a group of people dancing cheerfully in the distance. 

Ah, how he loved dancing. He still remembered his tiny self standing on his mother's feet as she danced with him across the room, although it was quite sad how each and every happy memory made his heart twist painfully. 

Then he turned to the prince, and swallowed down all those negative emotions with a sip of his chocolate. 

"Do you dance, your majesty?" he asked him lowly out of curiosity. He guessed he knew how to, since he needed it for formal castle parties and shit, but Keith couldn't stand touching anyone for longer than three seconds.

Keith had been watching the dancers intently, when Lance asked him a question. Did he dance? "Yes, I know how to dance," he answered. 

"But not.. not like this." The way these people were dancing was wild, free. Nothing like those stupid balls where everyone wore uncomfortable clothes and pretended to like each other.   
Keith had danced with most royals from his age, and older people too. He did not like it. Their hands on his waist or shoulder, in his hand. It felt wrong, and painful, and Keith was just supposed to smile through it and take the correct steps while dying on the inside. 

Lotor loved dancing with him, of course. He relished in seeing that expression on Keith's face, knowing he was hurting the boy and him not being able to do anything about it. 

Keith was quite apt at dancing. It was just about moving the right part of your body and keeping a good stance. But dancing at the castle was horrible, and it made him all tense and uncomfortable.   
Would it be different here? Would they touch him? Keith wasn't sure he wanted to find out. 

But Lance just looked so.. so excited. And he wouldn't be able to refuse this boy anything, just by looking in those eyes. So he gave him a soft smile. 

"What are you asking of me, Lance?" he asked. If he were to dance, he'd do it on his own. He wasn't ready for the hunter to touch him. He might never be. That wiped the smile off his face. 

This was stupid. Even if Lance liked him, and they could somehow be together, Lance wouldn't be happy. The boy was affectionate, Keith could tell by just looking at him. And Keith wouldn't be able to even kiss. He bit his lip and looked down.

The internal fight inside the prince was noticed by Lance, because he himself had worn the same look of fear of disappointing someone many times now, more than he could remember. He still did. 

"I am in no position to ask anything from you, my Prince," he murmured with a half, yet slightly blue smile, as he raised his hand to gently brush his dark bangs with his fingertips. "But if I was... I'd ask you to do what you want, what you think will make you happy." 

He'd never force him to do anything he wasn't ok with, never, even if inside he was dying to touch him, his hands, his cheeks, his lips, everywhere. Even so, he wouldn't. 

He finished his cocoa and walked to throw the recyclable cup before returning, his eyes still nailed to the way the people's feet danced around the place, and how happy they looked. 

"Let's return, it's almost time," he spoke to the prince while turning around to where they came from.

Keith got up, but didn't follow Lance. "Wait," he said. When the boy stopped and turned around, Keith wasn't sure what to say. Don't do anything stupid. You will regret this. You don't even want him to touch you. Don't be such an idiot. He took a deep breath and looked up at the hunter. "Can we.. Can we dance? Maybe later or something? I.." He sighed deeply. 

"Nevermind. We should get going." Great. That went horribly. Why did he even consider dancing with Lance. Sure, they could sway around a bit, not touching at all, but it was still too much. Keith didn't want to dance. It was foolish to dance now.   
He was a Prince, princes didn't dance at village festivals, no matter how attracting the music. And they definitely didn't dance with servant boys. 

What if he went dancing with Lance and the boy took it as a sign that he could touch Keith? He really didn't want to hurt him, but he'd leave him no choice if he came too close. 

Lance had already gotten closer than anyone ever before. Every suble touch to his hair or clothes stayed with him, even if it didn't really hurt. He just.. 

Lance's proximity made him feel good, as long as it didn't get out of hand. There was a limit, though Lance had crossed it several times. Like yesterday in the bar. No, not that again.

Lance watched him for a brief moment and made a slight grimace. The Prince looked like he wanted to dance, with him? But at the same time he didn't?   
He looked very conflicted, and Lance couldn't blame him. Although he didn't like getting his hopes up for nothing, which is what had happened just now the second the prince stopped him. 

He looked at the position of the sun in the sky; they still had time before the celebration began. An alternative, an alternative.... Then he remembered something they'd seen on their way there, and it hit him. 

"Come with me." He smiled at Keith and started hurrying to that place, leaving him no choice but follow him. It didn't take long until they reached the village green, where a tall tree trunk stood firm in the middle decorated with flowers and ribbons, no leaves nor branches, like a pole. 

"Yes! We're right on time," the hunter exclaimed and then turned to Keith. "This is called the maypole dancing. Although we're not in may, yet. This is done to celebrate that the happy season of warmth and comfort will return, as well as to provide fertility to the forest." 

He pointed at the people gathering and then at the top of the pole . "Each person holds a ribbon which is attached to the pole, then make circular steps around it so the ribbons are intertwined and plaited. Sounds complicated, but it isn't really. And most importantly? No touching, zero." He turned to the prince once more with excitement in his eyes.   
"Is this okay?"

The widest smile Keith had smiled in a long time broke over his face. "This is perfect," he breathed. Lance still hadn't seized amazing him. The boy's mind was absolutely fabulous. 

"Thank you, Lance," he said, emotion almost apparent in his voice. He wouldn't have to touch anyone at all, and they'd still dance. He waited until most people had grabbed a ribbon, and then stepped forward to take one of the ones left. The bright red fabric had somehow called to him. Keith loved red. 

They waited until Lance and some other people had taken the remaining ones, and then the music started, encouraging them all to start dancing. 

Keith was a little hesitant at first. What if someone saw? What if he couldn't do it? But then his feet took over, and he spun through the others, the ribbon dancing around him like wild animal. The others all looked magical, and free, and happy. Keith felt that way as well, tilting his head back and smiling. This was amazing.

Lance was entranced by how positively the prince had reacted, he'd even seen excited, and now...? Now he was moving in the opposite direction as him, and each time they encountered he could see how genuinely happy he looked, finally smiling and laughing and cheering... It was all he ever wanted. To provoke that reaction. 

And so as his heart melted he kept dancing in circles around the pole, in and out the opposite line with his bright blue ribbon, interwining it with the rest. Everyone's feet bounced according to the lute's chords and the sweet flute's joyful whistling, accompanied by the spectators' claps. 

The tune changed, and the people started dancing with the partner at their side. Coincidence or destiny, Lance was paired with Keith, and so he lifted his free hand and turned with him, whose hand was close to his own.   
No touching, he remembered as they kept the inches of air between them, and stared into each other's eyes. The hunter's gaze was fond, sweet, and it reflected on his warm smile. 

They changed directions, and he placed his forearm on his back as he turned shoulder to shoulder with his prince. There wasn't a moment where he stopped looking into his fairy tale violet eyes, except when the flute changed, and they went separate ways to interwine what was left of the ribbon. 

Once spinning between the people was difficult due to the short lenght left, the music stopped, and everyone let go while clapping and cheering, including Lance, who approached Keith with a happy laughter. 

"You were amazing, my Prince," he praised him, without trying to lower his tone at the last two words. People wouldn't notice he was a real prince since it sounded like he was saying it in an affectionate manner - which he was. "I hope you had fun?"

It had been more than fun. Keith felt amazing. And best of all, he hadn't touched anyone, and no one had touched him. 

After the dance, he quickly changed his expression to neutral again. Can't have anyone seeing how emoted he was. That wasn't very princelike. But then again, he wasn't a Prince around here. He was just Keith. And there was Lance. 

There was very little he could do about the blush creeping up his face at Lance's praise, but he didn't care. "Yes. It was.. I had fun." Was that so hard to admit? He'd had fun. 

"You looked.." Shit, was he about to complement this boy on his appearance? Maybe. 

"You looked good, dancing like that." He bit his lip and looked down. "Thank you for taking me here. We should get to the speeching. We can't miss it." He took a deep breath and nodded to himself. 

That was quite enough openness for one day. Back to business. And business was finding out who among these people was their rebel leader. 

He waited until Lance took the lead; he'd gotten used to it by now. Besides, it wasn't bad at all to look at Lance from behind, where he couldn't see Keith's eyes on him.

(A/N. We wanted a Tangled village dance.)


	15. It Is Danger Time, My Dudes

As soon as Keith gave the order, the brunette started walking back to the village center to avoid him seeing how awfully red he was, due to his compliment. 

Had the prince meant he looked attractive or that he danced well? Or that he looked attractive while dancing?   
Ah, crap. Why was he blushing? That wasn't like him. Then again, Keith made him act differently than he would with other people. He didn't want to shower him with awful flirting and nonstop jokes, nor he'd try to dazzle him with his skills. He made him feel... different, want to become the best version of himself. 

The moment they approached the town a wood platform had been raised at low ground level, and people were already waiting in a line to protest for their rights as people. 

"Take this, don't lose it, and stay close," the brunette murmured to the prince's ear, carefully handling him one of the twin daggers he kept on his belt before making his way to melt between the crowd like any good undercover assassin would do.   
Would they be considered as assassins after the mission was over? He preferred not to think about it. He really didn't want to kill anyone, but if... If he had no choice, he would, he had a family to return to. 

After a brief talk of introduction people started manifestating their discomfort and experiences with royalty, until a man and a woman walked to the pallet.

And Lance froze. Their uniform was exactly the same the archers had when they chased them out the forest, it had to be them. He glanced at Keith to see if he was aware, and silently wondered how he planned to take them down without weapons. He guessed at least he knew how to use that blade, right...?

The way these people spoke about royalty.. It was definitely disrespectful. But, if the things they told the crowd were true, they had every reason to be. 

People had been tortured, killed, ripped from their families, sold into slavery. Keith's father's name was dropped several times, and so were the names of other royal families he knew. But Keith already knew most of these things. He'd seen them. 

What he hadn't known were their stories, how they'd received certain punishments. Keith had assumed those who were executed had actually done things wrong. Very few of them had. 

He stood nailed to the ground as they spoke of how their families had been murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, for speaking up when they were supposed to be silent. 

He lost sight of Lance for a moment, until Lance's eyes found his again and he was woken from his thoughts. 

And there they were. Those were definitely the rebels they'd been looking for, their dark uniform recognisable from the last time they'd met. 

Keith quickly pulled his hood further over his head. If they saw him, I'd be over. They needed to get close enough to take them out. Any fight they'd lose, since the blades hanging from the rebel's hips were way bigger than the small dagger he now had clenched in his fist. And those guys looked like they knew how to use them. Lance and he would have to move quick, quiet, and invisible.

"We salute you, brothers and sisters, who share this day with us in union for a better place," the younger man on the platform spoke, taking a step forward as the other stayed behind at the side for support - or intimidation, Lance really couldn't tell. 

"The great gift of your applause is not for us. No! It is for yourselves. You came here today because of a craving, and a knowledge that the royalty serve us no longer. You came because you crave something new. Something different. We're all here in search of what was robbed from us; integrity, freedom, dignity, our names,-" His tone raised with each word. "-our houses, lands, family, our lives! ...Ourselves." 

The hunter looked down for a moment, feeling the resentment cultivated all these years building up with so many speeches, which he found incredibly identified with. For centuries his family line had despised royalty, for good reasons. He could almost feel the scar on his back burning once again, just like the day he'd earned it. 

"We want to change that. We, the Blade of Marmora, have prepared for years to take down an oppresive ruler, one many of us here despise; king Zarkon." 

The crowd cheered in approval, and Lance's eyes met the prince's once again; no time for resentment right now, not in the middle of the mission. 

He leaned close enough to him to whisper the next lines; "Here's the plan; we'll wait for them to leave, follow them directly to their base and finish them from behind with a single hit." He tapped his own neck, signaling the aorta artery. One cut there, then it's over.   
He returned to his position and glanced at the rebels once more.

But the man in the back had stepped forward as well, and he looked like he was thoughtfully examinating the crowd.

Keith nodded quietly. He had trouble focusing on anything Lance said. Those words kept spinning around in his mind. The royalty serve us no longer. That was not true. The one and only goal of every member of royalty was to serve their kingdom, right? 

This Blade of Marmora was obviously the rebels organisation they were tracking. But they'd been working against his family for years? It sounded like he may have underestimated the size of the problem. 

It weren't just some unhappy protestors. These people planned things, had probably been infiltrating their kingdom for a while now. 

There was one sentence in the man's speech that nearly made Keith laugh. The ruler many of us despise, King Zarkon. Keith wasn't sure whether to agree or not. He didn't like his father, but he was a good ruler. Strict, unforgiving, but fair. As far as Keith knew, at least.   
The king had always told him exactly why he did things, why they were necessary. He punished people to set an example. He punished Keith to make him stronger, to stop him from making mistakes. He had a good reason for everything. But Keith didn't like him very much. He was scared of him, terrified even. Stupid weakling. 

He shrunk back a little, seemed to become even smaller as the eyes of the taller man scanned the crowd. He seemed to be looking for something. But he couldn't know Keith was here, right? No, that was ridiculous. He wouldn't be able to see Keith's face. He was safe here, hidden beneath his hood.

Something was off. Lance tensed the moment the man didn't give up looking, but made signals to someone in the crowd instead. What was happening? Why was he suspecting? Had he seen them before or was he just making sure no dangers wandered around? 

Whatever it was urged him to take Keith by the hand and run away from there, but he knew he couldn't do that . Just stay still, undercover.

But then a woman with a dark cloak moved between the gathered people, in their direction, directly to the prince. Her hand hovered close to her hip, and it was in that moment Lance knew, that somehow they'd been seen. 

"My prince, we need to leave" he breathed, anxiously tugging him from the cloak as each and every one of his hunter instincts activated. In a moment that the crowd cheered again and moved, not allowing the rebel to continue approaching them, Lance took the sleeve of his blouse and hurried out of the place. "Now...!"

Keith didn't hesitate but followed Lance immediately, not needing the strong grip on his shirt. His feet made their way through the crowd with apparent ease. 

It was in moments like these that Keith minded physical contact least, in danger. During training it was lessened, and in situations like the thief's first appearance, he barely felt it. He'd been focused on other things.   
And right now Lance's fingers brushing over his own felt more like a soft feather than the sharp burning he was used to. 

The people in the crowd flashed past them, looking up as they were pushed aside, but all Keith saw was Lance. He didn't even feel the hood slipping off his head as they finally ran into the forest, leaving the village behind them. 

"We need to get to the horses," Keith said, out of breath and pulling himself out of Lance's grip. "Did they recognise me?" 

He looked over shoulder, looking to see if anyone was following them, while still running on. They appeared to be alone once again. But Keith knew that may not be true. He'd had plenty of training to recognise expert fighters, and these Blades were definitely good. 

So he ran and ran, not quite keeping up with Lance's long legs, and trying not to trip over pertruding roots hidden beneath a layer of snow.

"Maybe? I don't know-" the brunette panted as he avoided branches and bushes. "I think- they noticed us before-" 

Shit. How could that go so wrong? They could've taken them down if they hadn't been spotted and had the advantage of surprise. But Lance was sure there were only two, he didn't count with this variables and certainly didn't make a plan beforehand, this was his fault. 

He tried heading to where the horses were as fast as possible when he thought they'd lost the rebels, but sooner than not he heard the rumbling sound of hooves approaching from each side behind them, and he knew he had no choice left. 

"Keith," he spoke his name, both to save time and have his full attention as he stopped dry and took his bow. "The horses are that way, no matter what, keep running, I'll save you some time." 

When he believed he saw something similar to hesitation in his eyes and the rebels getting near, he gave him both a pleading and distressed look. "Just go!" He exclaimed him, setting an arrow and getting ready to shoot afterwards.

Keith hesitated for a moment longer. The smart thing to do was run. Lance would be able to hold them off at least for a while, until they captured the hunter. And Keith would be able to get to the horses if he was lucky. But.. 

He couldn't just leave Lance here, right? Not after everything that had happened. Not after everything they'd felt. Or maybe that was just him, getting these ridiculous ideas. 

But there was no time for arguing, the rumbling of hooves getting closer all the while. So Keith gave the other boy one pained look, and turned to run away. 

He ran as fast as his feet would carry him, downhill, to where he knew the horses were hidden. And then he'd go back to get Lance. He wouldn't leave him here. Never. The boy meant more to him than he would ever admit, no matter if Lance was playing a game or just not returning his feelings. It wasn't important. Lance was important. 

The boys face flooded his mind, and before he knew it he lay sprawled on the forest floor, having stepped in a hole in the ground. He groaned and pushed himself up again, dirt and dust clinging to his clothes and hands. If he got caught now he'd never be able to save Lance. Just keep running, Keith. Just keep running.

Lance sighed in relief as he saw the prince running, just hoping he'd get to Kosmo and leave straight to the castle, tell the commander to go with reinforcements or something.   
But would he remember the way or know how to return without him? He'd find a way. If he was safe, nothing else mattered.

And so he quickly hid behind a tree, tied rope to the arrow and aimed at the one to his left, around two meters from it, silently waiting for the right moment as the hooves grew louder and closer. Then he let the arrow fly, nail itself to the tree. 

The horses were so close they didn't have time to brake nor jump, causing them to trip and fall forward with their horsemen altogether. Two horses, two horsemen, who quickly stood up and unleashed their blades towards the hunter ready to shoot again.

But a third horse ran across the trees past them at full speed.   
All of them wearing masks, Lance couldn't know who they were, but he guessed from his broad complexity it was the man standing on the back of the pallet, the one keeping an eye out and giving orders. And he was heading towards Keith. 

If he wanted to ever dream of chasing after him Lance would have to take care of the two rebels in front of him first. So he shot, but the arrow was dodged by rebel who charged to him with full force. Lance was fast, being able to dodge and attack the blade next to him. He would win time, as much as he could get.

~~

Strong as thunder was a way to describe the leader of the Blades, relentless as river, swift as wind. Following the footsteps remaining on the snow, the man urged his horse to run faster and faster, until he eventually catched a glimpse of a black mass moving. He had to admit his running was quite formidable, but not enough to surpass Bolt. 

The horse strode powerfully to his direction, gained speed on the hill, and when he was close enough to the prince he grabbed what he could from his clothing - that being the black cloak and light satchel -, forcing it off the boy and making him fall once more. He threw those aside, making his horse circle towards him again.

Keith ran and ran, but he wasn't fast enough. The force with which the rider hit him from behind made him crash to the ground, rolling over until he came to rest on his back, the air knocked out of his lungs and his cloak and bag ripped away. The melting snow beneath him immediately soaked his shirt. 

The rider was coming back, and when Keith looked up he recognised the posture of the Blades' leader. Oh shit. 

He scrambled to his feet and took a few steps back as the horse came closer, before turning around and sprinting away. He could never outrun this man. The horses were too far away to reach in time. 

Lance. He needed to get back to Lance. 

But even as his feet nearly slipped over the slippery ground, he knew he'd never get to him. The thundering hooves caught up with him from behind. Would he be killed? Maybe. Keith didn't mind dying that much, he just wished he could have saved Lance, somehow. Maybe the hunter would make it without him.

The man jumped off the horse when he was close enough to the pale boy, falling with his hands on his shoulders and forcing him to the snowy ground with full force. He saw the prince struggling and trying to throw him off, but he was too heavy for such tiny body. He held his wrists, and straddling on him he tied them with some rope he'd held on his waist. 

"..." Nope, he didn't say a thing, except telling him to be quiet when he started demanding him to let him go. He was a man of few words, no point in praising himself or dismissing the prince. That was someone elses' job. 

He got up, pulled him up and started dragging him back from where they came from. No longer he found his two members, whose clothes were ragged, torned and stained with blood - both their own and the hunter's, who was nowhere to be seen. 

"Where is the boy?" A solid, firm question came out of his mouth, making the rebels look each other in silence before one of them dared to answer.

"Out of the way, sir." A not-as-solid answer, one that made the leader purse his lips in a grimace.

"Our priority is the prince, no one else must suffer the consequences. Stick to the plan next time," he ordered them and earned an apology from both of the rebels before they started heading off with the horses, and the prince, without a word.

Keith's eyes widened a little. Out of the way. What did that mean? Had they killed him? Please, no. Keith was about to demand answers, demand that they let Lance go safely, when he stopped himself. 

This wasn't the time. He was a hostage now, a war prisoner. He'd been trained for this. Don't talk, don't do anything stupid. And when you can, get out of there. As soon as you're no longer useful, they will kill you. 

The strong grip on his arm hurt, but Keith managed not to focus on that too much. His stupid weaknesses weren't important right now.   
And then he was lifted by his waist and roughly thrown over the horse, above the saddle so it stuck into his side painfully. The rebel leader got on behind him, grabbing the reigns over his back and all three of them started riding away. 

It was no use struggling. His arms were tied over his back, Lance was wounded or dead, and they were outnumbered greatly, especially when they got back to the rest of the group. And even if Keith managed to get off this horse, he'd lost his weapon when the guy tackled and tied him. He couldn't defend himself. 

He closed his eyes as the horse's sharp neck pressed into his stomach. He was nearly too uncomfortable to notice his inappropriate position, his ass sticking in the air. This was so, so embarrassing. He'd gotten caught. He was a Prince, for God's sake. Stupid idiot.

Somewhere still in the frozen woods and down the hill, an unconcious body lay halfway outside the river. A blue bird descended from the setting sky to it's rescue, and when she was near enough, she nuzzled, peeked and screeched at the body's ear, causing it to cough out water violently and take big puffs of air. It was Lance (duh). 

The boy crawled out the water and into the snow, raising a hand to his throbbing head afterwards to try to remember what had happened. He was fighting the rebels, managed to hurt them, the fight moved close to the hill... 

And he was pushed, all the way down the river. He'd hit his head with a rock as the current moved him, but despite how painful it was, it wasn't bleeding. However he was bleeding elsewhere: his arm, chest and eyebrow had been slashed. Ah, that'd leave a scar on his perfect face, shit. 

Tumbling from side to side up the hill and back to the crime scene, he found drops of blood spilled in the white snow along one... No, both of his daggers? But he'd lend the second one to... Oh no. God no please no. 

Despite being hurt he ran, followed the trails all the way to where the horses should be, lowkey wishing they weren't, meaning Keith had scaped safely. But he didn't even reach the place and found the cloak he'd leant him, along the prince's satchel. 

A cold fear ran through his body; The prince had been taken. And he hadn't been there to stop it. This was all his fault, he was the one charged to protect him, to help him on this journey, and like usual? He failed. That was all he was, a failure.

But Keith was still alive, and just the brief thought of him being mercilessly touched and dismissed and t... It was too much. He didn't quite know what he felt towards the prince, but it made his heart ache terribly. 

He managed to get to the horses and feed them once more while coming with a plan. 

His best bet, their initial plan; the element of surprise. The sun would set completely soon, but there was only one way to assure he wouldn't be seen by the guards and sentinels, only one way to melt with the shadows completely.

And so, after tying his vest, pulling his boots, placing his mask and lowering his hood, he rode on Kaltenecker - Kosmo following - while following the trail of hooves all the way to the rebels' most possible hideout. 

No matter the cost, he would rescue his prince, or die in the act.


	16. Sometimes You Just Have To Get Tortured, Ya Know

Keith wasn't sure for how long they rode. He couldn't keep track by watching the sun in this position, though he was pretty sure it took them about an hour. 

His captors stayed silent all the while, which was interesting. These people definitely weren't like normal rebels. They had just caught the Prince of an 'evil' empire, and they weren't even bragging about it. The only thing their leader did was making sure Keith didn't slip off the horse -whether on accident or on purpose-, and hit him on the back of his head when he tried to look. 

Besides that and his uncomfortable position, they weren't bad captors. All Keith could do was look at the ground sliding past underneath the horses strong legs, and worry about Lance. 

What had happened? Would he go back to the castle, get help? Keith just hoped he was alive, and that he wouldn't do something as stupid as come after them. Or maybe.. Maybe Keith wanted the hunter to try and save him. Wouldn't that show Lance cared about him? Of course, Lance would probably be killed if he came back to the castle without the Prince. Maybe he'd just run away. Or maybe he was dead.   
Keith's blood ran cold everytime his mind even considered that option. 

After a long time, they slowed to a halt outside a small encampment, and two guards let them through. The horses brought them into the rebel base. Keith couldn't see anything, still not allowed to lift his head, but heard voices around him, all conversation stopping as their leader stepped into the camp with a boy slung over his horse.   
Did they know who he was? Maybe. 

The leader pulled him up by the back of his shirt and threw him from the high horse onto the ground with a hard thud. Once again all air was knocked out of him and stars danced before his eyes.

Immediatly two members of the group grabbed his arms to force him up, and dragged him to what looked like the leader's tent which was lit by a big campfire outside. They then entered with him, tying him to a halfcut tree to make him wait afterwards while the rest of the rebels discussed things outside. 

It took about ten minutes before the familiar face of the nonfriendly-looking man appeared through the tent and the two soldiers went to stay watch outside, leaving them alone together.

Well, alone and the man that entered the tent as well. He could be recognized as the speech guy.

"You were a fool to follow us here, boy," the leader spoke. "I came all the way to gather possible allies, but you show up and save us tons of trouble. We thank you for that." 

Mantaining a firm stance and arms behind his back, he started circling around Keith, steps slow and steady. "Who else is with you? Who else knows?"

Keith had forgotten all of his lessons and he growled at the man. If they'd killed Lance.. They were lucky he was chained down, because he would have flown at them for standing there so casually while Lance was bleeding out in the forest most likely. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," he spat. "I came here on my own. You killed my only companion." The words made him shiver, but he needed to provoke a reaction, he needed to know if Lance was still alive.   
The man's expression didn't change, not even the slightest. 

He tested the roped tying his down by pulling lightly, but they didn't give in. Great. 

"And I am no fool. I am not who you think I am," he spoke. He was pretty sure the rebels knew he was the Prince, but just maybe he could convince them he was someone else. Maybe. 

"Let me go, or you will regret it." What did they think they could use him for? Would they ransom him? Ha, his father wouldn't give them anything in exchange for his son's life. They might use him as a symbol, publicly execute him or something to motivate their followers. Right. That didn't sound too great. Or maybe they just wanted information. 

Keith knew plenty of things these guys could use. All sorts of inside secrets of royal life, both personal and political. But he wouldn't tell them anything. He wouldn't break.

The man stopped in front of him, didn't move an inch. The prince had looked like he was telling the truth about being alone, which he was now; his rebels had accidentally finished him off by throwing him to the river, which had been tainted with his blood.   
Going with a single person was risky, but could be effective. That also meant the rest of the kingdom wasn't aware of them, and that they didn't know their location nor identities. Good. However... 

"You are a fool, to keep thinking you can possibly lie to us, to threaten us. You're just a kid that believes to know everything, but you know nothing. If you did, you'd see who the bad guy here really is," he said, pointing to his father with his words and taking a few steps back, allowing the other rebel to approach him and kneel down in front of him.

"Now you will help us topple your father, " he spoke, raising his hand to trace a finger down the prince's freezing cheek, all the way to his neck. "We will start with an easy one; what's his greatest weakness?"

Keith's breathing quickened as soon as the second man touched him. It hurt. It hurt so badly. He might have dug a knife into Keith's cheek, cut him open all over his face. But it was nothing more than a simple touch. 

He pressed his head back against the trunk he was tied to and looked the man in the eye daringly. "I am not telling you anything," he snapped, his voice sounding obstructed, pained. 

He bit his lip to stop himself making any sounds. He would sooner die than tell these asses anything. How could they think he would turn on his own father? Absolutely ridiculous. 

Behind his back, he dug his nails into his own skin to distract himself from the burning pain on his face, to stop himself from screamed, yellin at them to go away. 

"Don't touch me," he growled. Aside from his cheek and neck, his entire body was starting to freeze. The wet shirt on his back made him shiver violently, though he just managed to hide it from these guys.   
One of the first rules of interacting with hostiles: Don't show your fear and weaknesses. Never. 

He bared his teeth at the men. "Let me go at once."

As soon as the prince reacted more than hurt and horrified to the touch, the man widened his eyes and exchanged looks with his leader, then back at the prince with amusement in his eyes, as if he was holding back tons of laughter. Both because he'd just discovered his enemy's weak point and how ridiculous it looked at first sight. 

He'd be saving the torturing tools this night, the only thing he needed was his own body. 

"My god, boy. You must be faking all this," he said, placing the entire hand to hold his chin and swing his face side to side. "High level haphephobia?" 

He then placed his hands on his neck and all the way down his chest over his shirt, placing pressure on his body all the way. "I can stop, if, you give us something useful." 

The leader just watched the scene in silence with a small grimace of sadness. He knew Regris was a good man, that all this bad guy acting was being forced to gain what they needed, and he'd never actually hurt the boy. Not much, at least.

Keith clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, using all his strength not to scream out in pain. He hadn't been touched like this in a long time, and God... If felt like a being skinned alive. He wouldn't have been surprised to see the front of his chest burned off. 

He whimpered, tears in his screwed shut eyes, but still shook his head. He couldn't tell them anything. He wouldn't. He had a duty, a responsibility as heir to a kingdom. He couldn't sell them out. All of his people depended on him.   
And if his father knew he'd given in to torture, especially since they weren't actually doing anything to him... 

But how to show these men he would be silent until he died? He couldn't even speak, couldn't move, couldn't feel anything except that burning pain. 

Haphephobia.   
He'd heard that before. Fear of being touched. Was it fear? It was pain, intense pain. The Prince still wasn't sure how it had started, but it just hurt so much. Was it because of fear? If so, he was glad he'd never told his father. 

When the smaller man pulled away for a moment, Keith had time to catch his breath, his eyes still shut tightly. "I am not.. I won't tell you anything," he panted.

The rebel stopped due to the boy's extremely pained expression, which he knew he was trying to hide, to control. He really didn't like doing this, but he was the man for this job, out of the rest of the blades, the only one with heart cold enough to do these kinds of things. 

He was really surprised the prince wasn't giving in yet, and he knew he had to go even further. Because... 

"I'll eventually make you spill, boy. One way or another, I always do." Always, without exceptions, and he wouldn't let this kid ruin his perfect list of perfect interrogations. 

After a ten minutes session of exhausting touching, rubbing, squeezing and grabbing almost everywhere - except the parts the rebel obviously wouldn't touch -, the prince still held his head high, figuratively speaking, because he looked terrible.  
Regris needed him to look even more terrible. It was time for skin to skin contact. 

Without warning, he forced open his shirt while preparing to be a complete dick.   
But his hands found irregularities in the dark, one or another scar between what looked like wide fading bruises covering his perfect skin. And he froze. 

He slowly looked up at the boy with both concern, confusion... Still in shock, his lips moved on their own. 

"Kid... What happened to you? Who did this?" he asked with genuine perplexity. If it wasn't them, perhaps another rebel group was to blame? Perhaps he'd taken hostage before? It was from the kingdom, assuming the bruises were recent, so that... Only had one explanation. 

But he still waited for the boy's answer, along the leader behind them, his poker face almost showing emotion.

Keith couldn't breathe. He was being skinned alive. No matter how much he tried to hide his pain, tear tracks had made their way over his cheeks, and his nails pressed into his skin so tightly it had started to bleed. And then, it stopped. 

Keith slowly looked up. The man had torn open his shirt, leaving his pale chest exposed. Was he just building up suspense until he.. Keith swallowed with difficulty, tasting blood in his mouth. A pair of wide eyes bore into his, and he realised the man had asked him something, the tone of his voice different from before. 

"It is-" he began to speak, but was interrupted by a fit of coughing through his dry throat. He hadn't even screamed, but every word felt like a knife. "It's none of your business." His voice was weaker than before, but with just as much defiance. 

Sure, they could hurt him, they could kill him. But they would never break him. And he definitely wouldn't tell them who caused those bruises, those scars. They would laugh at him, maybe even try to convince him this was proof that his father was evil. Keith wouldn't listen. He still had dignity. 

So he looked up at the leader, and spat on the ground at his feet. "Fuck off," he croaked, nearly amazed at his own words. He never cursed out loud, it wasn't very princelike. But his language didn't matter right now. He needed to get them to stop, to get out of here and to find Lance. And maybe kill all these guys in the process.

Both men exchanged silent gazes before the one kneeling looked at the prince once more. "You really don't realize we're the good guys, do you?" heasked with indifference, when loud shouting from outside made them both turn around to the opening of the tent, where a young worried woman appeared next, panting.

"Sir? We're under attack, someone's been knocking the guards and sentinels out but we can't find them! We--"   
The woman was cut off by an arrow that landed on her leg, making her grunt in pain. 

Neither of the men could approach her as a dagger was pressed against her neck before they could blink.

"Let the prince go!" the hunter in black demanded loudly, taking steps back and dragging the woman with him. 

Lance had gotten to the camp and used the tall grass to approach and attack most guards from outside, then blended with the tent shadows to approach the people inside, who weren't that alert due to having caught the prince. 

If Keith didn't know he was the thief before now he knew, but he didn't care at the moment. Worries later. He made eye contact with him a brief second, making his heart twist completely. He looked hurt, very hurt.   
"Let the prince go, or I'll kill her!" he repeated.

"...You're bluffing, boy. Leave her before you get yourself in more trouble than you've already have." The leader took his blade's shaft, but Lance pressed the knife hard enough to make the woman's neck bleed thick trails of blood.

"You think I give three shits about this person?! Let him go now!" He started to doubt himself, but didn't let it show. Was he capable of killing someone? Was he really? For Keith...?

As soon as the woman appeared in front of their tent, Keith knew what was going on, and relief swept through him. Lance. He'd come back, come back to save him. And there he was. 

Only it wasn't Lance. 

The dark cloak and mask gave the figure a different identity, one Keith had only seen twice. And with that came the truth the Prince had been trying to deny. There was no way the mysterious thief had followed him here, which could only mean one thing.   
It was Lance. 

Keith had already known this, of course, but still. To see it confirmed in this way, Lance's knife to the throat of a Blade, it sent shivers down his spine. Or maybe that was the freezing cold creeping up his soaked back and bare chest. The woman in Lance's arms didn't look scared, she barely displayed any emotion at all. But the leader, and that stupid guy who kept touching him, did look a little scared. 

They looked at each other, and then slowly made their way to Keith. The smaller man knelt down behind Keith and untied him from the tree trunk, holding him from behind. "Alright. Let her go." He waited until Lance had released the woman, who hurried away, clutching her throat. 

Regris smiled and swung his blade over Keith's throat, pulling him back. They couldn't let this boy get away with the Prince. They had more questions to ask him, and the Prince was a great asset to their rebellion. The King's son... Regris grinned widely. 

"Now, drop your weapon and get down." He pressed the blade harder against Keith's throat. Sure, he probably wouldn't kill the boy, but the intruder didn't know that.

Lance's eyebrows twitched, but he remained as cool headed as he could in a situation like this. There was no way they'd kill him, right...? They needed him alive. 

Unless, of course, they wanted to threaten the king with his son's cold dead body. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought. But if he did as he was asked they would capture him as well, and never let them go. Never let Keith go. Not today satan. 

He slowly got down, pretending to want to leave his knife on the ground without looking away from the men. Then when he was low enough, he murmured: "You wish," and proceeded to make a short, high whistle with his lips. 

The confusion in the rebels' faces was inevitable, and it didn't take more than three seconds for a blue dash to descend the night sky at her fastest speed, go through the tent's fabric and land her claws painfully in the prince's captors' face. 

Regris screamed as the falcon digged his claws onto his eyes, making him let go of Keith and drop his blade next to him while stumbling back and trying to get the bird off. 

Lance took the chance to block the leader from taking Keith. Or tried to. He was able to stop one of his fists, but the other struck his stomach with wild force, making him groan as the air was knocked out his body.   
He then threw him to the ground, preparing to get him out of the way, for real this time.

As soon as the knife slipped off his throat, luckily without doing any damage, Keith stepped away from the man. It was hard to keep your balance with two arms tied behind your back, however. 

And then he saw the leader, raising his blade and getting ready to strike down on Lance, who was groaning on the floor. Keith didn't hesitate but jumped forward and swung his shoulder into the man's stomach, pushing him away. The Prince the dropped to the floor picking up Lance's blade behind his back and started to hack at his restrains. The ropes were thick, however, and this was a difficult angle to free himself. 

Regris had finally managed to hit away that stupid bird, whose claws had left scratches all over his face. But his eyes still worked properly. He saw the boy on the floor and the Prince, who was getting loose. 

His hand darted forward and grabbed Keith by the wrist, making him drop the knife he was holding. But it was too late. The rope broke with a tug and a pang, and Keith swung his fist forward in Regris' face, making him stumble back in pain and surprise. 

Keith turned around, pulled Lance up by his arms and out of the tent, supporting him as much as he could in his state. 

It was even colder outside, and the whole rebel group had woken up, ready to stop the tortured Prince and his breathless servant.


	17. Certain Death Is Postponed Once More

The hunter felt the ground spin around him, or maybe it was his head, still off by the strong way he'd hit the floor with. The rest of his body was still mistreated from the previous fight that afternoon, and he felt his clothes moistening with his own blood. He was disoriented and tired and a blade was swung towards him. 

But then someone stopped it and pulled his arm to his shoulder, walked him away. Keith. 

Recovering his senses, he was able to look at his face and how paled it was, his lips almost purple, aside from how cold his hands and body felt. He was freezing. The trails of salt hadn't vanished off his cheeks either. Had he been hurt, tortured? How? He'd find out later. 

Right now each and every rebel he'd previously knocked out was awakenig again, the ones he hadn't were approaching them and circling them slowly. The horses weren't far, in fact they were right outside the camp, but they wouldn't have time enough to get onto them. He needed a distraction. 

And so, his eyes caught the flickering fireplace set not too far from them. Risky, but effective perhaps? He got loose from Keith's grip and and ran to take one of the larger pieces on the side, set it on fire and threw it with all his force to the tall grass close to the tents, and the rebels approaching Keith, who instantly backed away at the barrier of blazing fire as the entire place started to catch fire quick as lightning. Some of them hurried to save things from the tents such weaponry, others hurried to save the horses, leaving only a few trying to stop them from leaving. 

Lance whistled again to call for the horses, who approached the place through the only free path that wasn't burning.

It was amazing, how Lance could still think properly, looking like that. Most of his face was obscured by his thieving mask, but the part Keith could see was dripping blood from a nasty cut across his eyebrow. There was something funny about the way he walked which told Keith he had many more injuries hidden beneath that dark cloak. 

The Prince didn't have time to think about the whole Lance is the thief thing, but grabbed the reigns of Lance's horse. At that moment, one of the tents caught fire and collapsed with a loud crack. 

Keith's horse, Kosmo, was a pure breed. Her blood contained fire and spirit, but she was also incredibly instinctive. Keith loved that about her, it reminded him of himself. But right now, it was really unfortunate. 

As soon as the loud noise hit her sensitive ears, she threw her head back, reared on her hind legs and ran off at an incredible speed. Keith felt his hopes crumble at the sight. There was no way they could both escape on Kalts back.   
The horse was pulling violently on the reigns in Keith's hand, desperate to join the other horse in running away, and he didn't have the strength to keep her down.

Grabbing Lance tightly around the waist, he started walking, almost running. They couldn't stay here. The blades would stay busy for a while longer with the roaring fire, and he and Lance might get far enough. 

Sure, he'd go faster on his own. Lance could barely walk. But he didn't even consider leaving his savior here to die. Because they wóuld kill him if Lance stayed here. 

He hoisted Lance a little higher and dragged him on, not feeling their contact at all. His nerves had completely frozen anyway. The wind played humourlessly with his torn shirt, as if it was taunting him.   
They would never survive out here, without a tent, without food or water, without heat. But they could at least avoid being killed by the Blades.

It hurt. The prince's strong grip on his bruised waist hurt like hell, and despite restraining himself from whimpering he gave it away from time to time. 

The fight was blurry, he wasn't sure if he'd been kicked there or he'd been hit with a rock in the strong currents of the river. He still wondered how he'd survived that. Perhaps the will to see the prince one more time, make sure he was safe, was what kept him from drowning and succumb to the excruciating pain. Yeah, that had to be it.   
That, and having a family to return to. A family that would miss him. 

Back to the present, he desperately tried to keep up with the prince and stop slowing him down, but it was difficult to raise his feet from the gathering layer of snow, and each step made his body move, and each time hurt. 

Every muscle begged him for rest, but this wasn't over, so he kept putting effort on their walk away from the camp, far far away, despite the rising storm of snow made it harder and harder. They would die if they stayed there any longer. 

Then, as if the universe had the smallest glimpse of pity for them, Lance caught what looked like a bear's small den. He told the prince to stay there as he inspectioned the barely deep place with bow and arrow in hand. There weren't any pawprints, hair or signals it was being used. It was long abandoned. 

He motioned Keith it was all clear and he could enter the tiny cover. It was so small there was only a few inches from their heads, them being kneeled or sitting, but at least it would protect them from the storm. 

The low temperature was no different however, and the shivering hunter went out to gather a few things to try and start a little fire.

Keith wanted to sleep so badly, his violent shivering draining the little strength he had left. But he couldn't rest yet. Lance.. There was something wrong with him. He should check his injuries, made sure he was alright. 

But not now. It was dark, and he could barely see where he stood, but forced himself up once more and looked around for firewood. If he let Lance do this on his own, the boy's would both die. 

His purple fingers had trouble holding his gathered branches, but after half an hour he had enough to built a small fire. But he was also freezing. The thin fabric of his shirt, hanging from him loosely, didn't do anything to protect him against the harsh winds, and he fell to his knees inside their small shelter, unable to keep his eyes open. 

No. Keith, make a fire. Do it, or you'll die. Lance will die. 

His eyes fluttered open again, not focusing but seeing well enough to construct a small pyramid with the wood. Firestone. He needed firestone. He didn't have any. "Lance?" he said, his voice cracking. "Lance? Fire. Fire." He didn't see the boy. Everything more than five feet away from him was a white blur, and dark spots swarmed his vision. He was gonna pass out. Shit.

Lance was just coming back to the den with basic dry materials when he heard his name. Then he heard it again, in the shape of the weakest, shakiest whimper, which made him hurry inside the den and drop everything. 

"Keith?" he asked, his raising worry enough to make him forget about manners and the hundred proper ways he should call him instead of his name. He looked even paler, and his eyelashes and lips had caught frost from the storm. He went out? 

He glanced at the firewood he'd set up then back at him. You fool, that was his job. He was supposed to serve him. 

He didn't respond right away. He looked like he'd literally frozen. With shaky hands, the brunette set the remaining tinder and kindling, clashed the firestone against each other and provoked a tiny fire. Lance cupped the area and blew it, successfully making it grow after a while. It was warm, but not warm enough, and the prince still wasn't showing signs of activity. 

Lance lowered his mask, took off his cloak - which still held the little body warmth of the hunter - and moved outside to shake the snow off before crawling close to the prince and wrapping it around him. 

"Keith it's ok, we're ok... Stay with me..." he pleaded once more, raising a shaky hand to his cheek in hopes he'd get a reaction, any, whether good or bad.   
"Please..!"


	18. We Had A Bonding Moment

Keith's eyes focused at the touch, as if he was waking up from some sort of trance. He'd almost fallen into a warm and comfortable dream, where he didn't have to worry about anything. But he couldn't sleep yet. 

Lance.. He was somewhere. He was here. 

The frosty winds were halted a little by something warm around his shoulders. And the fire, it was burning! Lance had lit the fire. Great. 

He shrunk back from Lance's touch instinctively and raised a hand to his frozen face, rubbing his eyes to keep them from closing again. His lips felt cracked and stiff, and it was difficult to talk. 

"Hey," he breathed, seeing the small cloud of warmth from his breath evaporate in the air. Time to be a Prince again. He must look pathetic, all blue and shivering. 

"I see you've made a fire. Good. We should-" He closed his eyes and yawned involuntarily. "We should preserve our warmth."   
How we're they supposed to do that? Cuddle? No way. Keith had just used up all his strength fighting the pain of being touched, and that was just by two hands. If he and Lance had to lay side by side... Keith wouldn't be able to take it. He wanted to scream in frustration, but didn't have the energy. 

"Are you injured?" he asked, trying to change the subject, and also genuinely worried. If Lance died... Keith wouldn't know what to do.

Relief washed Lance's biggest worries away when the prince responded. He wouldn't know what to do if he fainted. 

Preserve their warmth, sure. But he wouldn't be able to do that. Everything, including their clothes, were still inside the bags attached to the horses, so there was only one available winter cloak to keep the warmth on their bodies. And of course it was the prince who needed it most. 

The hunter already felt his remaining temperature dropping and he shivered more and more, but Keith would be fine, that's what mattered. Was he injured? Yes, everywhere. 

"N-no... I'm- I'm good," he stuttered through his chattering teeth, you know, like a really bad liar, while crawling to lay his back against the den to hug his knees. At least he'd stopped bleeding, perhaps due to the cold, but each hit he'd recieved made him see the stars, and the dry blood on his damp clothes was now visible. 

"Are you? What- what did they do to you..?" he asked the prince, glancing to meet his characteristic purple eyes. He'd obviously been crying. They'd either tortured him physically or mentally, but he seemed alright for the most part. Had they... Touched him? How far?   
Just imagining those men's hands on his delicate skin made him want to throw up, and his blood boil with massive anger.

Keith knew he looked horrible. Lance must thing he'd been tortured brutally, burned, cut, beaten. What was he supposed to say? 'They touched me really hard'? God, he wasn't a five year old. 

So he softly shook his head, having trouble sitting up straight and looking at Lance. There was something red on his clothes. Was that blood? Lance said he was alright, right? He was too cold to think properly. 

"I.. They didn't do anything to me," he breathed. "They just touched me a little." He should be thankful. They didn't even hurt him, physically.   
But in the back of his mind Keith knew he would have preferred to be beaten. He could handle that. He'd rather they actually hurt him, than that cruel touching. It was worse, because it was inside him, in his mind. And there was nothing he could do about it, no matter how much he despised it. 

He stayed quiet for a while, and then he spoke again, his voice weaker and shakier than before.   
"I- I thought.. I thought you were de-dead. I thought they'd killed you." 

His bit his frosted lip and wrapped his arms around himself, scootching closer to the fire. It didn't do much, the wind blowing it flat against the wood. Keith was afraid it'd die as soon as they went to sleep. The worst of the storm was clearly still coming. 

He rocked gently from side to side, not sure whether it was on purpose or because he couldn't keep his balance. 

He was a bit afraid to look at Lance again. What if the boy was dying? The hunter was definitely injured, he'd been lying to Keith. He was bleeding. He really, really didn't want Lance to die. He liked that boy. Please don't die.

Indeed he'd been touched. Despite not being physical, Lance knew how horrible it must've been. And he wasn't there for him. So much for the chosen companion. 

Then he heard his words, quivering more than before, and for a moment it sounded like the prince was genuinely scared, scared he might have died. 

For a part he was... happy, that Keith cared so much about him to the point of not wanting him to die.   
Then there was the other part; if he had died, Keith would be crying his death while being brutally tortured right now. He didn't want that. It hurt to even think that. 

He kept quiet for a few seconds debating whether to keep lying or tell the truth. If he ever wanted Keith to trust him, he had to be honest. 

"...I was thrown to a river," he explained. "M-my head hit a rock and I fainted, perhaps that's why the Blades... Took it as m-me being finished." 

He took one of the remaining wood pieces and placed it in the fire to keep it burning, that itself being a big effort to his freezing muscles. 

"And I am hurt.. But I t-think there's no int-ternal d-damage..." If one of his ribs was broken he'd still be twisting in pain at the river's shore, or even more realistic: dead. But the leader's strong punch told him that if he tried to eat anything right now he'd throw up. 

"I'm not bleeding anymore... S-so I'm fine. I-I can't f-feel anything anyway..." Literally, nothing except the frozen temperature and how his entire body went numb. He took one paler hand close to the fire in hopes that'd help in the slightest.

Keith chuckled softly at Lance's last sentence. It was more pathetic than funny, but Keith's emotions were all over the place again, his weakened body unable to fight them off. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, the flickering light dashing over his pale skin and blue lips. 

"I- I don't think we can survive the night like this. We-" He had to stop for a moment, his lips and teeth chattering too much to make himself audible. "We will be dead before dawn." The thought made him shiver, or maybe it was just the cold. 

Lance's cloak was amazing, but it only did so much to keep out the cold. He didn't feel his toes nor his fingers, his face and arms felt like they were on fire, and his heartbeat slowly faded, making his mind spin from lack of blood. He was just so tired. But if he went to sleep like this, he wouldn't wake up. 

He needed warmth, and so did Lance. The other boy had even less protection against the cold right now. He looked around, whimpering and cracking his neck, his eyes half lidded, and found Lance's eyes, a blur of bright blue. "C-come here," he croaked.

The shivering mess looked at him with slightly wider eyes. What? 

"I-I-" 'I can't', he wanted to say. Both because he didn't think he could physically make it there, despite them only being inches apart, because his body felt like dying on him.   
But mostly because Keith didn't stand being touched, and he didn't want to hurt him. 

But if he didn't they'd both suffer a slow death and wouldn't make it. He truly wished there was another solution, but the prince was right, and it was a direct command he couldn't reject. 

So his body slowly moved on it's own, Lance couldn't even feel it, nor the ground beneath his hand, despite being gloved by long fingerless gloves, but he managed to shakily crawl to the prince's side and take part of the cloak before uncomfortly leaning against him, shoulder with shoulder. He couldn't move closer unless Keith said so.

Keith closed his eyes and took in a sharp breath. Shit. This was gonna be hard. But he was gonna have to get closer to the hunter, or they wouldn't make it. Pain or death. 

Keith might have chosen the latter, if it wasn't for Lance. He couldn't let the boy die just because hé didn't like being touched. 

And so he clenched his teeth and turned around to face Lance. He set his hands gently on the boy's chest, and pushed him down on the ground, as close to the fire as possible without the danger of getting burned. The tips of his fingers stung from their contact with Lance's chest. 

God, there was still a layer of clothes between them. Suck it up, Keith. Try not to be weak for once in your life. 

He slowly lowered himself to the ground as well, in the space beneath Lance's arm. He pulled the cloak around them completely, and turned his head away from the boy. 

The pain was now excruciatingly apparent on his face. At least the blinding burning countered the freezing cold. This was better. Lance's body warmth held a lot of the frost away, and he hoped it worked the same the other way around. He closed his eyes, whimpering softly, trying to focus on something, anything besides that pain.

Lance watched the boy still shivering for a moment and bit his frozen lip before turning to his side. That wasn't enough, and despite Keith's apparent struggle, he'd have to hold on for a while. 

"Keith, look at me," he demanded, once again calling him by his name, as he reached to hold one of his hands into his own. 

"Keith, look at me," he repeated firmly when the prince's expression shut in pain once more. 

"I am not hurting you. I would never, ever, hurt you." As he whispered he intertwined their fingers and kept looking into his eyes, now shrunk due to the reaction of their physical contact. He doubted this would work, but if it did in the slightest, just a tiny bit of success, that'd be more than enough.

Keith struggled desperately, trying to get away, trying to get Lance to release him. His rational mind, the part that knew Lance wouldn't hurt him on purpose, was drowned by his panic. 

But his fighting was useless, too weak push Lance away, and eventually he weakened and melted into Lance's arms. 

He opened his eyes, the tears nearly freezing onto his dark lashes. Lance's eyes were so, so beautiful. They seemed to take away some of the tension, some of the burning. Not all. No, definitely not all. It hurt like hell. 

But something in that deep blue gave him the same feeling he got with Shiro. Trust. Shiro's touch was less painful than most because he trusted that man. Did he trust Lance too? Even though that boy had threatened him, stolen from him, ordered him around u fitting to his position? Yes. He trusted Lance. 

He couldn't say anything, so he lay his head back down on Lance's bicep and just looked in his eyes, trying to convey all his feelings in one look. He looked pathetic, teary eyed and pale faced, unable to move or talk or see properly. He just lay there, trying to distract himself from the burning pain by drowning his worries and that deep blue.

Seeing he'd managed to calm him at least one percent, Lance slowly let go of his hand. The prince looked hurt, troubled, tired, confused due to the cold. He didn't feel - or cared about - his own shivering body that much, due to placing all his attention on Keith and trying to make him feel as best as he could in this situation. 

He placed his hand around his back, and snuggled slightly closer to him in the hope they'd be warmer. 

"Shh.." he whispered as Keith's body twitched against his touch. "I-It's okay, it's okay." With the hand belonging to the arm the prince was laying on, he shakily caressed his hair, all with the intention to distract him. But he knew it wasn't enough. 

"H-Have I ever told you... You have beautiful eyes?" he cooed with a small smile, all the while staring into those gorgeous pearls. 

"I've always thought that... T-they're bright... Like made of stardust. Like they hold galaxies in them," he spoke from the heart. The prince looked tired, so tired. He was tired himself, but... 

"Try to sleep. I-I'll stay watch for a while." Someone had to check the fire wouldn't die so quickly, that the storm stopped. He wondered where Blue was. In the previous fight he'd seen them fly off after being hit by the rebel, but she looked fine for the most part. She should be in a near tree, or at least he hoped so. He wouldn't stand losing her.   
"Sleep."

Keith's whimpered softly, his purple lips shaking, and his eyes not averting from Lance's. He'd just said.. something. Keith's mind was playing tricks on him, or maybe it wasn't and Lance was just trying to calm him. Either way, it worked. 

Keith slowly relaxed in his arms, not closing his eyes and shivering still. He wouldn't be able to bear the pain without those eyes keeping him grounded. 

And that blue led him to sleep, into dramatic dreams about running and hiding from monsters. But at least Lance was there, not quite able to protect him from pain but at least being there with him, supporting him. 

His eyes slowly fell shut, blocking his sight, and his whole body relaxed completely. He might not make it till morning, but he was here with Lance, and it didn't even hurt that much anymore, touching him like this. Maybe his nerves had just been frozen dead. Or maybe it was something else. It didn't matter. He was cold and comfortable.

As soon as he was sure the prince had fallen asleep and he'd succeeded once more, his body felt heavy, now that he didn't have any missions left, except watching the fire, but Keith felt cold against him and being laying on his bruised waist hurt. His cut arm also hurt, everything hurt, and it made him want to close his eyes to try and run away from all of that.   
He forced them open again and again, listening the wild storm increase and the firewood sill burn. That's right, just keep burning, keep...

Lance startled himself awake due to his body shivering violently, even more than before. Had he fallen asleep? When? Shit. The fire was so small it would extinguish completely in a matter of seconds. 

He tried to do something, anything, to move and burn his own clothes or wake the prince up, who was also shivering close to him, but no words came out of his throat, and he couldn't lift nor move his heavy body. No. No no no. They would die. Move. Move!

The universe took pity on them once more, and a blue blur made it's way to the den, dropping sticks in the remaining tiny flame before landing close. 

Like a miracle the fire ignited once more, and the moment Lance could feel his body again he wrapped his arms around the prince tighter, snuggling even closer and securing the cloak around them. Not today, Satan. 

He exchanged a look of gratitude with his partner, who walked to their side and hid her head beneath her wings to rest as well. 

Finally being able to sleep again, the brunette closed his eyes, heading to a dream of his house in the village. He sat next to the fireplace with Keith, except it didn't quite look like him. He had longer hair braided by him, his skin was free from bruises and he smiled sweetly at him. He leaned on his shoulder and held his hand without a trace of pain, the type of dream he'd never want to wake up from.


	19. The Crushing Weight Of Abandonment Issues

Keith woke up a few hours later, the fire long extinguished but the worst cold having past as well. He was still shivering, his lips blue and every inch of his skin covered in goosebumps.

He was laying on something incredibly warm. It was a body. Oh god, he was touching someone. Oh fuck, it was Lance. 

He waited for the pain to hit him, waited for his body to wake up and go back to torturing him. But it didn't. He held his breath for nothing, and it slowly escaped him. 

His muscles ached and felt weak, but still worked. And yet, he didn't move away. He didn't want to. 

A hesitant smile broke over his lips at that thought. He was laying half over Lance, touching him, and he didn't mind. It didn't hurt. He carefully lifted his hand and gently touched Lance's skin, just above his collar. 

And even though he was ready to pull back as soon as it hurt, the violent burning was completely absent. It was just.. soft. Lance's skin was soft, and cold yet warm, and sweet, and God. 

Keith's smile curved even wider. This was the first time he'd voluntarily touched someone's skin in a long time. He bit on his bottom lip, keeping himself still. He didn't want to wake Lance yet. He didn't want this moment to fade away. He could touch, at last. 

He lay down his head again, silent tears of happiness trailing coldly over his cheeks, and still not taking his frozen fingers off Lance's skin.

The second one to wake up was Blue, who quietly watched the scene play out in silent approval. She felt Keith was appropriate and worthy of his partner, since he dragged him out of the fire and all the way through the storm. He seemed to watch over him, just as Lance did with him. Good. 

Speaking of the brunette, he was slowly waking up from probably the best dream of his life time after the light made it's way through the den's opening. He grumbled as he blinked his heavy eyes open, trying to focus the vision in front of him while still being half asleep. 

It was cold, very, but thankfully not as unbearibly cold as last night. Then his eyes found someone elses, an ocean of galaxies. 

"Keith... Hey," he murmured raspily with a small smile, being extremely confused. Until it hit him. He glanced at the fire, it wasn't there, then back at the prince with raising worry. 

"You're so cold... I fell asleep, and the fire almost extinguished in the middle of the night, I'm so sorry...!" he blabbered, raising a hand instinctively to wipe the tears falling from the boy's eyes. My god, he was crying. Was it his fault? It probably was. It always was. He'd lost track of how many times he'd made him cry at this point. 

"Please don't cry..." He noticed the prince's fingers against his skin, and then it hit him again. He couldn't touch him like this. 

He instantly pulled his hand away, his heartbeat rising from all the mistakes he was making. He'd also called him by his name, hadn't he? Why was he so stupid? Keith had probably tried to push him away. Should he back off? "I'm sorry.."

Keith chuckled softly, and pushed himself up and away from Lance. This was getting uncomfortable. 

"Don't be," he spoke. "You probably saved my life. Thank you." Maybe he was going too fast. His thick, strong walls were crumbling, yeah. But they were still there. They were still protection. 

He lost the foolish smile and stood up completely, gazing down at the gorgeous boy beneath him. The dark cloak was still trapped beneath the hunter, but Keith didn't care much. His pale, exposed, and bruised chest seemed less cold now the soft rays of sunlight hit it. 

He yawned, hiding his mouth behind a hand and subtly rubbed his eyes. At least try to act like a Prince, Keith. He straightened his back and looked at his torn shirt. It was beyond repair, way beyond. So he pulled it off and threw it aside. 

"I need a new shirt," he stated, wrapping his arms around his own shivering body. They needed to get back to the horses, somehow. They needed clothes, food, and water. They wouldn't survive another night without. It was a miracle that they'd lived so long. 

Keith actually felt good, aside from the cold and the hunger. He felt physically comforted, and that was new for him. Don't show Lance. He will think you're weird.

Lance sat up and tried to look away from the prince's now shirtless body, the cute image of him rubbing his eyes and yawning still present In his head. This was a life or death situation, plus he'd already seen his exposed chest, then why was he blushing? Yes, his snow white skin looked like shining with a thousand suns, and sure he had a hot body, but no? No, now's not the time... Then when, if not now? 

He took another glance before shaking his head and crawling out the den, getting his bruised body up afterwards. At least the prince looked totally fine, somehow, despite the way he'd wrapped his arms around him all night long. And he was right, at least he'd kept him alive. 

"Yeah, I'd give you mine but... Right now it's not quite 'prince material'," he said with a chuckle at his own double pun as he took the cloak and placed it around Keith's shoulders without asking. 

Then he looked down. They had so many things to talk about; what had happened yesterday, him being the thief, what they would do next... Perhaps the fact they'd freaking slept together? Lance and Keith? Neck and neck? But right now they needed to get better, and perhaps take a rest. 

His body still felt numb, and the pain from yesterday had returned. "The horses..." he let out a deep tired sigh, moving a hand across his face. "I really fucked up last night. They could be anywhere at this rate. I... I don't even know where we are," he admitted defeatedly, looking around the unknown place. 

He was so pissed at himself for not being able to do anything right...  
He didn't know which direction they had walked in, for how long, nothing. He could still get back to the village by finding the river, but the storm last night had wiped out any possible trails from the rebels or themselves. He was starting to get more and more stressed out, he was so tired and hurt and just fucking done with everything. 

"This Is all my fault, I... I let them take you, touch you, then got us lost, hurt, and I almost got us killed. God.. I'm the worst companion ever." He really was, and he was so, so sorry. Keith should have never trusted him with his life like this. 

He adjusted his bow and arrows on his back while trying to ignore the shivers and pain, readjusting his composture to the most neutral expression he could make before adding: "The river's that way, according to the direction the moss spreads on the rocks and trees. It's not far. Maybe we'll find the horses there or something," he mumbled sarcastically to himself and started walking as steady as he could. Wouldn't that be funny, find them drinking so close to them. But there was no way they'd be that lucky, right? With all this shit going on around them. 

Keith pulled the cloak tighter around his bare chest and followed the other boy. How could he blame himself? It was ridiculous. Lance had heroically fought off two guys, almost been killed, but somehow still found the strength to save the Prince from the depths of an enemy camp. It was Keith's fault they'd gotten lost, he was the one who'd dragged them out in the middle of a storm. 

"Lance," he said, his voice clear and neutral. "I want you to know that I don't blame you for anything. You saved my life, again." He sighed and bit his lip. "It's my fault we got stuck here. I'm sorry I'm so.. so weak." 

He hadn't really meant to say that. He would have preferred to keep it a secret from Lance for a little longer, not ruin their relationship. But Lance already knew he was, right? For gods sake, he cried after only being touched. Weak. Pathetic. Fuck. 

He quickened his pace and strode past Lance, not wanting the boy to see his face. This was so embarrassing. And it wasn't the time for emotions. They needed to find the horses, and after that.. Would they go back home? The king wouldn't be happy. Keith had promised to kill those rebels, and he hadn't succeeded. But he did have a lot of information on them. Maybe his father would spare him just a little if he told him those things. 

He and Lance could never defeat an entire group by themselves, especially now they'd lost the element of surprise. But then again, the Prince of Daibazaal couldn't just quit and go home. Victory or death. His father would kill him if they returned empty handed. But how to save Lance? 

Lance bit his lip as the prince walked past him. No way he'd just said that. He wouldn't allow it. 

"What are you saying? You're not," he spoke, suddenly seeing how Keith stepped on a frosty rock and slipped, but he was quick enough to grab his waist and prevent him from falling. He pulled him back up, and decided to speak now that he had his full attention. 

"I may have been hurt on the ground yesterday, but I saw how you freed yourself and punched that guy right in the face," he chuckled slightly at the memory. "And... Even after being hurt, you kept silence and didn't tell them a thing. I think that requires some strenght." He himself wasn't sure he'd be able to endure it without breaking eventually. 

He raised his hands to the Prince's cloak and adjusted it so it'd cover more of his chest. "Plus, you freaking pulled me up and dragged me meters and meters out a freaking snow storm... When you could've just let me." He looked up from the cloak to his gorgeous eyes as he gave him a fond smile. 

"I think you have some courage, your highness. Sorry for acting so bitter before. It's no one's fault, things... Just didn't go as planned. But we'll fix this, ok?" He heard the neigh of horses nearby, but kept his eyes on those violet ones, awaiting for an answer.

Keith stared at the ground for a while, and then his eyes found Lance's again. How could something be thát blue? It made him melt into a puddle, but at the same time it reminded him of some unfinished business they had. Lance was being ridiculous again. 

"Hurt? They didn't hurt me. They just touched me. I should be able to handle that." He gritted his teeth but didn't walk away again, entranced by Lance's glowing eyes. "And of course I didn't abandon you. You saved me, multiple times. Besides, I'd never survive out here without you. Even though.." 

He hesitated. This may not be the right time to discuss this. But it was too late to stop. 

"Even though you broke into my fucking castle and held a knife to my throat a few days ago." His voice was accusitory and angry, but he wasn't really. He had already forgiven Lance for that, even before he was certain it was really him. He had forgiven Lance for everything he might ever do already. Stupid asshole. 

Then he shivered again, pulled the cloak tighter around himself and walked on, in the direction of the sound he'd just heard. Were those their horses? He could finally dress, eat, rest.

That. That single, direct, powerful blunt sentence made the brunette's heart shrink. It made him cold and small. He was expecting many replies, but not that, not like that. So the prince was pissed. How couldn't he? He should be, he should want him dead. Maybe... Maybe he did.  
And It hurt. Wonders of falling for a prince. 

He embraced himself both to try to get warm and comfort, before following a few feet behind the Prince in complete silence. It didn't take long for them to find the clear water of the running river, and two horses drinking from it nonstop. Then the spotted mare turned to them, and with a happy neigh she strode to the brunette, making him dodge before she completely run him over.

"Hey! Easy girl, easy-" The mare returned to him, this time at a slower pace, but the emotion in her light blue eyes still clearly visible. Lance embraced her neck and hugged her for a while, letting relief run through his body. They really were lucky to find them here, or at all. Where had they spent the night? 

He backed away to brush the frost off her mane and caress her snout, forgetting for a moment he was freezing and the prince was still there.

Good. The horses. They could go back now, be safe. Well, relatively save. Keith's made his way to Kosmo, who only lifted her head when she saw him, and let him pet her. He stroked her neck a few times, not showing any emotion, and let go of her reigns to search the bags on her saddle for a shirt. His trembling hands had trouble undoing the clasp, but eventually pulled out a long sleeved, woolen sweater. God, it was cold. 

He dropped the cloak and slipped the warmth over himself, unable to stop shaking for ten more minutes, in which he ate the last of the dates and drank some fresh water. Riding back to the castle would take at least two more days, and they barely had any food left. He didn't speak to Lance, didn't even look at him. There was something between them, some sort of tension that hadn't been there this morning. Keith didn't like it. 

He grabbed Kosmo's reigns and brought her back to the path, where he climbed on, his own cloak around his shoulders. He looked vaguely like a Prince again, fully dressed and barely shivering, with at least something in his stomach, and sitting straight backed on a high horse. He was still way paler than usual and his eyes carried dark bags, but he way somewhat presentable. 

He forced himself to wait a few seconds for Lance to join him and then started riding very slowly, because the horses were probably tired and starved, their muscles too cold for any real work.

Lance knew he should apologize. He'd changed into his hunter clothing, fighting through the cold, saved his other clothes, drank water and eaten a tiny tangerine. 

They wouldn't have energy left if he didn't provide food for this afternoon, he'd have to hunt later, but the horses needed to rest and warm up. He'd take care of that too. He was really needing paper and pen to write down all the things they needed to do. 

Minutes passed of them riding in silence after Lance corrected the prince because he was going the wrong way. Thankfully the sun shone more and more the longer they rode, slowly melting the snow above the trees and under the horses' hooves. 

They appeared to be right at the beginning with this weird uncomfortable tension around them, and he hated it, because they weren't strangers anymore. He wished he could specify their relationship if there was any, but they weren't friends, just partners. Or were they? All he knew was that he missed him. He missed talking to him and looking at him and making him smile.

And so, after riding behind him all the way, he finally placed himself to his side, yet avoided to look at him directly. 

"...There's this... Flower," he started. "It's called Tempus Miracle, it is said to return a person's vitality and health for a limited period of time. But due to it's rareness and scarcity, it's prize is... exorbitant." 

He lowered his head, clenching his grip on Kalt's reigns. "...I should've never involved you, I didn't think you'd be there, and I just... panicked. I really tried not to hurt you, I never wanted to..." He bit his lip, tears already building up due to guilt and pain. 

"I just- wanted to give my mom a chance.... B-Before-" His voice broke, unable to hold the tears falling to his chin. His emotions were all over the place and he hated it, but he could do nothing to stop it. Why was he so sentimental? The prince seemed to handle it so well... It made him jealous. 

"I should've never done It... And because of me you hurt, I made you pay for it... I'm really, really sorry...!" he cried, tried to wipe the tears as his heart overturned. "I understand- if you h-hate me... and want to turn me in... when we get back."

It was too much. Lance should be sorry, of course. He had threatened to kill him, stole from them. He'd made his father hurt him. He may even be the cause of the arrangement with Lotor. 

If it hadn't been for Lance, Keith might have still lived a relatively normal life. His father would still hurt him, but less. Lotor's visit would have been just that, a visit. And Keith may not have been tortured by those rebels. But.. 

He couldn't hate him. The hunter had become way too important to him. Lance had saved his life many times, from the net, from the Blades... And Lance had made him smile constantly, something that was so rare for him. He'd finally been able to touch someone, and like it. 

Sure, Lance may just be playing this whole loverboy thing, but it made the Prince happy. Every cheeky smile, every comment the hunter made turned Keith's insides around, made his heart flutter. Keith was in love. 

"I already knew," he said softly, after a long silence. "I suspected you since the beginning, ever since I saw you at the guards presentation. And everything you did just confirmed my suspicions. So no, I wasn't surprised. I don't blame you." He bit his lip, carefully considering his next words. 

"Your actions have caused me pain, sure. But I would have been hurt anyway. And I understand why you did it, and I'm not turning you in." He looked sideways at the boy, saw his tears crystallising the deep blue. It looked absolutely beautiful, but Keith would rather never see those tears again. 

"Thank you, Lance," he said. "It was fun to get to know you." After this trip, he would marry Lotor, if his father didn't kill him. He would barely be allowed outside again, and he definitely wouldn't be allowed to hang around with a servant boy. These were his final days of freedom, and he was glad to spend them with the boy he cared about most of all. His Lance.

The brunette felt like drowning in a puddle of his own tears until he heard the prince's words. 

He already knew. He already knew, and still he'd shared a room with him, danced with him, slept with him, trusted him with his life. How... Why? 

He'd stopped crying at some point of the conversation, too surprised to do anything else but try to wipe his cheeks and slow down his breathing. He wouldn't go to jail... It was almost too good to be true. And now he was thanking him. He really, really didn't know how to feel right now. 

"...You make it sound like it's a goodbye," he chuckled softly, his words still slightly breakable, to try to hide the pain that phrase had actually caused to his heart. He knew what Keith meant. He'd been of the first people to know about the wedding, or maybe the prince meant he'd be hanged by his father for not succeeding on this mission. 

And If he wasn't, he was sure the other royal, Prince Douche, would spend the rest of his days nagging him around like his own slave. Didn't that sound thrilling... No, he didn't want a life like that, and he didn't want that for Keith, either. It would pain him just to see Lotor holding his hand. No one was allowed to touch him, not even himself, unless the prince ordered him to. 

"...This isn't over, your majesty," he stated, raising his head to look at him firmly. "It can't, I..." He felt heat crawling up his cheeks, and he averted his gaze for a moment as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"You mean so much to me... I don't want this to end." This? What was that? What even was the thing going on between them? "We'll figure out something." 

They'd catch the rebels eventually, and then... Then he could turn himself in. Make it look like Keith caught him, to avoid him any problems. But would it work or would it be for nothing? No, he needed to think this through. For now he should concentrate on stop his blushing.

Keith looked up again as Lance spoke, but didn't quite believe his ears. "You..." Lance had said the Prince meant a lot to him. And now.. Now the boy was blushing. Oh god, did he mean it? 

A violent shade of red tainted Keith's cheeks as well. Lance cared about him? Lance liked him? But how much? 

"You mean a lot to me too," he whispered. "You know, I never really liked touching people." Major understatement, but Lance would know what he meant. "Never. It makes me uncomfortable, and tense, and just.." He sighed deeply. 

"Until last night. You.. I didn't mind touching you." He bit his lip and looked down again, trying to bury himself in the hood of his cloak. This was wildly inappropriate. He'd just said he liked touching Lance. That was.. It was true, of course. Lance's skin was so sweet and soft and smooth. Everything Keith desired rode beside him, even though he was still unsure whether he'd be able to kiss anyone. Touching was one thing, but actually kissing? 

Keith wanted it. But he also didn't want to ruin what they had by being unable to chase his longing. 'What they had'? They didn't have anything. Just this awkward silence between them. 

When had the title 'your majesty' suddenly become strange from Lance's lips? He didn't want to hear that ever again. "You can call me Keith, if you want," he whispered. "Just Keith."

A deep, powerful sensation of joy wrapped around the hunter's body, creating the warmest, brightest smile he'd ever had. He was important to Keith! He allowed him to call him by his name, something almost unreachable in a peasant lifetime like his, and he didn't mind his touch! How come he didn't say it before? He could've done so many things already-- hey, slow down loverboy, everything's still sudden and new. 

But how could he calm down with all these wonderful news? He hadn't felt so happy in years, and boy if he was gonna show it. 

"That's great!" Too loud. "I--I mean..." he murmured, placing a cold hand to his still burning cheeks. "...That you don't mind my touch... It.. It makes me so happy," Lance said softly, feeling his heart flutter with absolute adoration. 

"Honestly, 'Just Keith'? I wasn't sure what I'd have done if I wasn't able to touch you. I'd probably go nuts," he chuckled, but he knew he was being honest. The prince's perfect skin was so soft and delicate... He literally felt butterflies in his stomach with the thought of holding his hand alone. Or the rest of his magnificent body. God- don't think about that, not now. 

"...I can't keep lying to myself anymore. I really like you, Keith." He confirmed, just in case the prince could think otherwise. "More than I've liked anybody else. I don't know when... Or if you'll remember, but since the moment I saw you in one of the village's annual presentations years ago, and now that I know you? I.. I fell, completely." 

He leaned forward, trying to catch a glimpse of his special someone's beautiful face, still red, still wearing the warmest smile.

Keith stopped dead, Kosmo's feet coming to a quick halt. Lance.. He felt like he might faint. Lance liked him? Lance actually liked him, in a romantic way? 

His breath quickened and he clenched his hands around the reigns tighter. Keith didn't remember much of the times he went out into the village with celebrations. It was incredibly boring and tiring, sitting in a carriage or on a horse and just riding past thousands of people, who'd all come together to celebrate your family. 

It was painful, and he rarely managed to do it completely perfectly. He always made mistakes at public events, and then... Don't think about that now, this is a happy moment. Lance likes you, you idiot. Why, Keith had no idea. But he did. 

Keith slowly turned his head, his mouth slightly agape, and frowned at Lance. 

"You like me. You.. You want to touch me." The realisation that Lance wasn't disgusted with him, that he wasn't repulsed by him made Keith's mind spin. How? Like he'd said to Shiro a few days ago: No one would ever truly like him, right? I'm not exactly a catch. That's what he'd said, and he'd been right. He was weak, stupid, ugly, and he never knew what to say on any sort of social situation. 

Lance was the complete opposite of that. He was talented, knew how to do everything. He was funny, and smooth, and flirty. And God, he was hot. 

"Why?" he asked, when he wasn't able to figure it out for himself. 

Kaltenecker stopped just a step past Kosmo, and the hunter tilted his head at the question's weird, perplexed tone. 

"Why...?" he repeated while processing what he'd been asked. Why did he like the prince? "..I'm not sure. To be honest I wasn't very fond of royalty at first, I'm still not," he stated directly, looking at the path in front of them as he remembered how he genuinely despised the king, and how he'd thought he did with the prince as well. 

"The king... Has done very nasty things to my village, my neighbors, friends and family. Myself. I... I think the rebels might be right in their motives," he muttered, looking at him afterwards.

"But you have nothing to do with that, and you're not like the rest. You're kind, generous, bold, very caring... and incredibly sweet." He smiled, feeling his face getting warm once more.

"You have this raging fire inside you, oppressed by that stupid crown, but it's there. Plus? You're... beautiful," he cooed, staring at him fondly. "Your sharp features, your rebel hair, your snow white skin... And your eyes? So gorgeous I loose myself in them." He flustered completely, then looked back down at the horse. 

"...You always try to give your best, and when it comes to me, you... seem to speak the truth, and don't search me just for self convenience." Like most people did. All of his crushes had wanted something in return, something from him, when the moment of truth arrived. But... "You're honest. I... I feel I can trust you."

Keith looked down at his hands, twisting Kosmo's dark manes between his fingers. Lance didn't like royalty. That was to be expected. Very few royalty were nice, cared about their people. Lance was way too sweet, too genuine to like such people. 

And then the hunter started complementing his appearance, and Keith lost it. His face, that had almost returned to its usual colour, flashed bright red again, and he looked up at Lance, desperate to confirm the fact that those beautiful lips were actually saying this stuff. Lance thought he was pretty? Lance had weird taste. 

And of course he wouldn't use the boy. All he wanted of Lance was love, comfort. To make the boy happy, to make him feel safe. But he couldn't. Keith's face fell. 

"I am glad you feel that way, Lance," Keith continued, his face nearly neutral. "But.. We can never.. We can't be together. You know that, right? I.. I am to marry Prince Lotor." That, and the fact that he could never be with a servant. Keith was royalty, he could only legally marry other royalty. Those were the laws. 

Lance trusted him.. Was that a good thing? Keith was constantly terrified of hurting the boy, but he hadn't hurt him too much yet. The thought of just being with Lance threatened to overwhelm him, so he averted his eyes and focused on the complete ridicule of the idea. 

Even if he managed to create a good relationship with Lance, he could never escape royal life. He had duties, obligations. He couldn't just abandon his people in the hands of his father and - shudder - Lotor. This wouldn't work, and Lance needed to see that before it went too far.

Despite already knowing the thousands of facts that forbid them to be together, hearing them out loud caused the brunette's smile to drop slowly. He'd already tried to deny 'till the ends of the world his feelings towards Keith, but he just couldn't ignore them anymore. They would still be there the day after, and the one after that. 

"...I know. I was there. Princes don't date servant boys, aye," he muttered, a small sad smile placing on his face. "...But a boy can still dream." 

Never get your hopes up when it comes to romantic interests, Lance. You always end up hurt. 

He raised his glance back at the prince. Only a king can change the law, but if Lotor married Keith... There was no point in thinking about it. 

"...Prince Lotor isn't here, though," he proceeded. "And we still have time until we get there. Just dropping that out, not... really implying anything." 

He averted his gaze and made his horse continue walking. He totally had implied everything imaginable. Two days were more than enough for... lots of things.

The first place his mind flew to was... deeply inappropriate. He could already see the two of them, making out under the moonlight, doing.. other thing. 

God, who was he kidding. He wasn't ready to go that far. Yet. If he'd go there with anyone, it would be Lance. Beautiful, sweet, understanding Lance. But no, not yet. 

They could.. kiss, of course. Oh come on, he was about to be trapped in a horrible marriage for the rest of his life. He could have fun these few days, right? 

But that was not all he wanted. He wanted to talk, to cry with Lance. He wanted to tell the hunter every bad thing that had happened to him, everything he felt sorry for. He wanted to be held, be comforted. Lance would understand. He wouldn't judge him, right? 

The Prince had repressed everything for so many years, he'd been afraid he couldn't feel them at all anymore. And now.. Now, he felt happy. And if he could feel happy, he could feel sad too, right? Lance would be there for him, right? 

Shit, maybe the boy just wanted to bé with him, physically. He probably wasn't interested in Keith's stupid emotional baggage. He'd have to take it slow, not force it on Lance. Don't cry. But if the boy started it himself.. Keith would be more than happy to oblige.

Noticing the prince hadn't moved from where he was, Lance looked back and stopped Kalt, chuckling softly afterwards. 

"It was a joke, my prince. With time I meant time to get closer, without our duties as boundaries. What happens next is up to you," he explained. 

He wouldn't force him to do anything or push himself just because of the time limitation they had. Plus, as much as he wanted to go far with him, that was only secondary. If he had Keith to his side then nothing else mattered. 

"Come on, slow poke. The horses need a quality meal." With that smile he started riding once more, eventually being followed by the prince afterwards.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they'd spent a while riding, on which the uncomfortable tension from before had been replaced by a warm comforting feeling of mutual affection. 

Lance absolutely loved it. He wanted to see al sides of Keith, all his emotions, passions, wishes and dreams, and the chains he was tied to as well. He wanted to show him the world, there was so much the prince had probably never experienced...

Between forest and forest they found a wide meadow, full of tall grass and yellow tiny flowers swinging with the light breeze. The brunette hopped off his horse and untied the bags so she'd run and stretch her legs a bit with the warm sun. 

She neighed, rolled between the grazing and waited for the prince to get off Kosmo so she could join her. Of course the black pure breed was more conservative, but she did join her to share some of the grazing. Grass was the same everywhere, thankfully. 

"We can let them rest here for a while, I'll go hunt our lunch," he said while turning around, but stopped, and turned again to look at the prince. 

"Wanna join me?" he asked kindly. "It's okay if you don't, not many are fans of watching animals being hunted." Of course Lance had the strongest respect for nature and it's creatures, he owed the forest all he had, and thanks to it his family could have quality meat in the most merciless and inforgivable of winters. He only hunted what he needed, like it should always be.

Plus, having Keith by his side... Just the thought of It made him smile.

"Join you?" Keith said in surprise. He'd love to go with Lance, wanted to be by his side for as long as he could. But wouldn't he fuck it up? 

Keith's small posture allowed him to be light on his feet, almost soundless as he moved through the forest. Years of avoiding his father had strengthened this skill as well. But he wasn't a hunter. He wouldn't know what to do, and he would probably mess it up. 

"Are you sure I can come?" he asked hesitantly. "I wouldn't want to scare away your prey." He smiled weakly and looked down. He couldn't look at Lance for too long. The boy made his heart flutter and his face slightly red. 

He wondered what they would hunt. Something small, probably. They couldn't exactly bring a whole hart with them. Keith felt like there was something missing inside him, something sweet. And then he knew it. 

He stepped forward and carefully took Lance's hand in his own. Even though he knew the pain had passed, it felt.. strange, to finally touch someone. To hold someone. But it didn't hurt. Keith's smile widened and he looked up at Lance. 

"I'd love to go hunting with you," he grinned.

A strong, strawberry red color rosed on the tanned boy's cheeks. Keith was holding his hand! He was voluntarily touching him. The fact alone provoked his heart flutter wildly like butterfly wings, and his honest grin? It was the brightest smile he'd ever seen on his gorgeous face. He'd do anything to see it over and over for the rest of his life. 

"It makes me happy... Very," he cooed honestly as he gave his soft hand a light squeeze. " And of course I want you to go with me. Don't worry, the only things you need to do Is be quiet and light on your feet, don't do sudden moves and don't leave my side unless the situation gets risky." Although Lance wouldn't let anything happen to him, ever. 

With that stated he returned to the insides of the forest with him; He showed him different types of butterflies, beetles and ladybugs passing by, until the hunter caught something with the corner of his eye, and instantly pulled the prince down behind a bush with him. He pushed a few leaves of the middle down to have a hole to peek through, then motioned with his head for Keith to see as well. 

In front of them stood a beautiful hazel, white spotted deer, eating while her tiny fawn wandered around the place with it's thin tiny legs. It almost tripped, but got back up and kept walking once more. 

"Isn't it beautiful?" Lance whispered quietly, observing the majestic creature with a smile and bright eyes. This was probably the best part of his job, to watch everyday scenes like these. Of course he wouldn't touch them, he'd never take a life from their mother, and vice versa. 

Then he caught his breath as the little fawn approached the bush they were hiding in, fluttering it's pretty eyelashes while sniffing the leaves. It was ridiculously cute.

Keith stayed as still as he could, afraid to scare the little thing. He'd never seen one before, alive at least. Many of these animals had been brought to the kitchens, or else their heads mounted on stakes as a prize. But alive.. They were beautiful. 

A soft smile curved Keith's lips, and he looked at Lance. The hunter was absolutely stunning in this lighting. His attention shifted to the stunning beauty completely, and he didn't notice himself stepping on a dead branch. The soft crack lifted the mother deer's head, and she and her fawn ran away. Keith could've hit himself. 

"I'm.. I'm sorry," he stuttered. "I didn't mean to.. It was an accident." Deep down he knew Lance wouldn't blame him, but the fear of messing up was too ingrained in his being to let it go. 

He got up and quickly turned around, not wanting to show Lance his weakness. He wanted Lance to think emotion came easy to him, like it did with the hunter. He wanted Lance to think he was normal. 

Ironic, that he wanted Lance to think the opposite of his as his father did. The king made him into this ruthless, emotionless royal, and Lance just desired a normal, sweet boy. But which to be? Could he be both? Neither? 

Keith took a shaky breath and clenched his hands together for some kind of security. Don't touch him again. Now is not the time, Keith.

"Hey... it's ok," Lance said calmly while getting up and approaching him slowly. Indeed he didn't blame him, because there was nothing to blame him for. 

"Everyone scares them, even myself, and it's alright. They'd have left one way or another, and I wasn't going to touch them anyway." 

Being behind the prince, the brunette slowly placed his hands on his forearms, gently traced them down until he took his hands and lifted them to embrace him - not too close nor too tight, afraid Keith might reject him. 

"One thing clear? I'll never blame you for being human." For a moment he got flashbacks of his father telling him off for not being strong enough to lift the iron tools of his workshop, for always getting in trouble or just constantly messing everything up. More than many, he understood how heavy the pressure of doing things right was, and he'd never place it on anybody else. 

"Now relax and follow me, you're stepping on rabbit pawprints." He pointed out, looking down at the tiny shapes of recent paws on the ground. Keith had perhaps just found their lunch, that's a plus. He let go of him and offered his hand once more, waiting for a reply. He would lie if he said he didn't crave his touch already.

Keith instinctively stiffened up when Lance touched him, embraced him, but nothing happened. It didn't feel... wrong, like usually. It just felt comfortable, Lance's gentle hands slightly warm on his back, and the boy's smooth cheek against his own. Keith didn't really wánt to let go, but then Lance stepped back. 

So Keith quickly took his hand, looking down to hide the blush creeping onto his face, caused by his embarrassing eagerness, and followed the trail of footprints with his eyes. It was definitely a rabbit. The trail was quite fresh, since the melting snow still showed the prints sharply. That would do. 

He was still a bit sorry about the deer, but Lance didn't want him to worry about it, so he wouldn't bring it up again. He'd do anything for Lance. 

Lance's hand was surprisingly soft in his own. As a hunter, he'd have to do quite rough work, but there was no trace of calluses on his palm, and no scars at all. It was perfect, like Lance.

Smiling at such adorable reaction - cuter than any baby fawn -, the blue eyed boy kneeled once more with the prince to start following the tracks. Taking down small and agile animals was even harder with such high sense of hearing, so they needed to be slow, precise and keep a distance from it's scent radar. 

So they did, they followed and waited, until a fluffy grayish creature was seen through the snow white clearing, hopping and stopping a moment to grab a berry. 

It was then when Lance motioned the prince not to move, raised the bow and arrow he'd already prepared and took a pair of seconds to get his target on sight, stabilize his hands and let the arrow fly. It hit the creature right away. 

The hunter didn't move until he'd made sure he'd finished it off, then got up and breathed again before saving his bow in place. "Aye, that's why people call me the sharpshooter." He patted his own back like usual when making a successful catch and walked to the animal. 

It was quite big for a rabbit, even being close to a hare. With something else like fruit, it'd be enough for them. He conservatively took the animal off the ground and looked around for edible berries or fruits around the place, not really wanting the prince to see the tiny creature on this state. As said before, not many had heart enough to stand watching the whole scene.

Keith wasn't sure whether he wanted to see the bunny. Sure, it was fascinating to see Lance work, to see him hunt so professionally. But Keith didn't really like seeing death. He'd seen it enough. Everytime he attended an execution... Keith hated it. Those people hadn't had a fair fight, had just been slaughtered for some small misdeed. 

But this way of killing, hunting for food, that was honourable. That creature died so that they could eat. So Keith took a deep breath and looked at the glaced over eyes of the tiny creature. It looked... dead. Keith's eyes travelled up to Lance's. 

"People call you sharpshooter?" he asked, directing his attention from the dead bunny. "That's... cute." Keith smiled softly and let his gaze flow over their surroundings, searching for berries or anything else they could eat. 

He didn't really have that much knowledge about foraging for food. That was more Lance's thing. Everything was Lance's thing. Unless they attended a ball together. 

An image flooded Keith's mind, of Lance guiding him through the grand ballroom back in the Castle. People surrounded them, but he saw only hím. He was wearing the most beautiful, royal blue suit, ingraved with gold and matching his eyes perfectly. And Keith got totally lost in his head, smiling softly to himself as Lance guided him over the floor.

"I'm not cute? I'm deadly!" Lance objected, pointing at the creature in his right hand. "Don't you see what I just did?" 

Despite all his efforts, he couldn't help the peachy shade going up his cheeks. His older siblings used to tease him with that when he was small, but somehow Keith made the word 'cute' sound... Cute. 

But after awaiting for an answer that never came, he noticed the prince drifting away in his own thoughts with a pretty pink smile, making him smile as well, except his was rather cheeky.

"May I ask who is the lucky person that dares invading your thoughts, my prince?" he asked with honest obliviousness, head cocked to the side and a raised eyebrow along.

For a few moments, Lance's words didnt arrive in Keith's mind. The Lance in his mind was smiling so sweetly, dancing so gracefully.. And then Keith awoke from his trance. Lance had asked him something. 

Keith looked up, and flushed bright red. "I.. I was just..." Keith couldn't find the right words for a while, the word 'inappropriate' floating through his mind. 

Thinking about things like that was not only inappropriate, it was also wildly unrealistic. As soon as they got back to the castle, they might never talk again. Keith would have to admire him from afar. They would never touch again. 

But Lance looked kind of hot like this, like he knew he'd caught Keith during something private. So it slipped out, without his true knowledge. 

"I'd like to dance with you sometime." He bit his lip and looked down. This was too forward. Does Lance even like things like this? Was he being too affectionate? Not affectionate enough?

Lance wasn't awaiting the rather unexpected reply neither he understood how the prince had come to that thought in a situation like that, but he didn't fight It. In fact? 

"I love dancing," he spoke with non hidden cheerfulness, dedicating him a fond yet bright smile afterwards. "And I'd love dancing with you, too." Maybe not now, he thought, being in the middle of getting them food, but very soon. 

"Though royal baltz isn't my forte. I hope you don't mind." Though he learned quickly. 

The island boy carried passion and desire to express himself through the arts of dancing and singing, like everyone else In his family, and like most villagers of the kingdom. However, he really, really loved it. He could spend all day dancing and never get tired. Dancing brought people together, it showed your inside to the world. 

Dancing with Keith? It definitely was one of the first things on his to-do list. Singing for him was also on that list, but they weren't there yet. 

"Will you save me a dance 'till then, handsome?" he asked him flirtatiously, taking his hand and bending down to press a light kiss on his knuckles.

Keith had never been thát red. His wide eyes were fixed on his own and, the place that Lance had so briefly touched. Kissed. Lance had kissed him. Oh god. Keith was panicking slightly. 

People very rarely kissed him. Even during greetings, no one came thát close. Keith took his own touched hand and took a small step back. Did he mind Lance's touch? No... But it was... It was strange. Maybe it was going too fast for him. 

What had he been thinking, being intimate with Lance in any way. Just because he didn't mind the touching so much anymore, didn't mean he could just... do other things. You're an idiot, Keith. 

He bit his lip and looked at Lance, afraid he'd hurt him in some way. "I.. Yes, I will," he breathed. "If it is possible. I don't think we can.. That we can..." 

His breathing was quickening, his face whitening. Don't panic, Keith. He was never gonna be with Lance after they got back. He wanted to do so much, but two days was too short, way too short. He couldn't... Keith turned around and pulled the tight collar of his sweater down. He couldn't breathe. He was definitely panicking now.

Shit. Not what he expected. Had he overstepped again? He totally had. On what moment did he even thought of having the right to do that? Damn right Lance, you don't, fucking moron. 

The moment Keith snapped his hand away made a part of the hunter crack, as if it was about to break. The look In his eyes... Hurt, and then he spoke and turned around. Why did he always fuck things up so quickly? He wanted to try to fix it but didn't know how to approach him. 

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" His hand reached to hold his but immediatly stopped. He didn't dare to touch him now, or anymore? Fearing to hurt him again, but the prince was clearly starting to panick. What to do? 

"Keith" he pleaded, walking to face him and hesitantly raising his hands to his red cloak. "Keith, listen to me, breathe," he said again, this time more slowly and calm, yet still firm. "It's alright. We..." He looked down at their feet for a second before looking at him again. 

"We don't have to do anything, ok? I just want you, be near you, that's... That's enough," he lied. It would never be enough, it was painful to even think about, but he could endure it if Keith was alright. 

"So breathe."

Keith gasped for breath, finally letting his lungs fill up properly, 

"I just-" he panted. "I want that too, Lance. I want to be with you." His own desperate eyes found Lance's, pleading him to see what the prince already saw. 

"But its not possible. I can't.. I can't be with you now, and then just forget about you in two days. I am getting married." It was weird, how he felt simultaneously more defiant and more okay with the idea of marrying Lotor. 

On one side, Lance had shown him love, real love. Something he would never have with Lotor, or anyone else for that matter. But wouldn't it be easier to forget about this heartbreak when he was forced to throw the idea aside? 

His marriage sealed the deal about having to break off whatever Lance and he had. If Lotor hadn't been there, Keith might have entertained the idea of actually being with Lance. Completely ridiculous. His father would rather kill them both than let them marry. 

A few hours ago it had seemed a good idea to just be together for two days, but Keith knew deep down inside that it would only make things more difficult. 

"You don't have to be sorry about anything," he said, his neutral, royal voice back. But could he keep him at a distance? Could Keith push this boy away?


	20. War Of Hearts

That. That cold, firm, emotionless voice hit Lance like a brick. Keith was back being an empty prince shell again because of him, yet he didn't have anything to be sorry about? 

"...I think I do," he said after a pause to steady his shaky hurt tone, now firm as a rock. "I think I have to be sorry... for thinking even for a single second, that someone cared about me enough to fight. To take risks like I did just to bring you a basket of food, to apologize. Because I do believe you're worth fighting for." 

Another crack ran through his heart, and his frown was not that of anger but sadness, the pain reflecting on his already crystallized eyes. So Keith would rather treat him like a stranger since now. Why did it come so easy for everyone to forget about him? Was he that dispensable? 

"How can you... You can't just shove me aside after all we've been through, everything we've felt? ...Or... perhaps it was just me," he murmured, taking a step back from him and embracing himself for some kind of comfort. 

He was done, so done people played him to later forget about him completely like nothing ever happened. He couldn't do that. Unlike the prince, he couldn't pretend he didn't have a heart. One that overflowed with affection and desire to share it, longing to recieve. 

"I have feelings for you, Keith. I can't pretend I don't." He bit his lip. He understood, yet why was he being so selfish? He was practically accusing him of something. Perhaps the hunter thought he'd found the one, for real this time, and he was begging him to stay. He didn't want to let go.

But Keith was right, and he had all the right to stop whatever there was between them, so he looked at the prince again, held his tears back and forced a small smile on his lips. 

"Sorry, I... I understand... I don't want to put you in a difficult position." Keith's life would be better without him anyway. "If that's what you truly desire, I won't bother you again." 

With that said, he walked past him and took the rabbit he'd accidentally dropped before, to head deeper in the forest where he'd seen an orange tree.

Keith felt like breaking down. Like crying. Like dying. Lance said everything he had longed for for days now. His feelings were real, like Keith's own. But Lance had said too much. And he was right, from his perspective. 

There was no way Lance could understand how he felt, how he truly felt. Keith's heart overflowed with love, too much to keep in. But he had to. If he gave a part of his heart to Lance now, he would have to cut it off later. Keith couldn't bear to lose another part of his shrinking self. 

But watching Lance leave like this made him realise he'd already given this boy his entire heart. Lance carried it with him without noticing, it being too light and broken to feel. 

Every fiber of his body told Keith to sprint after this boy, to hold him in his trembling arms. But could he? Could he deal with the destruction that would follow? Would Lance be satisfied with just two days of open love? 

Keith wouldn't be able to just let Lance get killed for being with him, but what if Keith couldn't stop once they got back? Lance was addictive, like nothing else Keith had ever felt, but also dangerous. 

His feet started walking without really making a decision. All he knew was that he hated seeing Lance like this. He should at least explain it, explain why they couldn't be together in any way. Maybe it was too late. 

And there was was, reaching up to pick bright, ripe oranges from a high tree. He looked beautiful, as always, the late afternoon sun lighting up his face like he was god himself. Keith didn't know what to do, what to say, so he just stood there completely quietly. Maybe Lance would notice him, maybe he wouldn't. It didn't matter. He couldn't speak anyway.

After grabbing a few fresh oranges and saving them in his satchel, the brunette climbed off the tree, almost slipping in the process due to being so distracted and careless in the moment. 

He remembered breaking the same arm twice when he was little for constantly climbing and falling off trees despite everyone in his family telling him not to. Since he had memory he'd always been reckless, the class clown, rather impulsive and rebellious, a big dumbass. Always eager to prove himself to people, to be a part of something bigger, to be someone to somebody.

But he wasn't. He was never enough, always stepped where he wasn't called, gave more than he recieved. Gave all of him. That was the reason that after every single rejection, he lost it all. He still was the little kid that confessed to the beautiful healer of the village years ago, stupid and naive, believing for a second he had a chance. 

But princes don't date servant boys, this wasn't a fairy tale, and he certainly wasn't the strong, handsome or skilled knight in shining armor. There was no prince charming awaiting his rescue. Like usual, he only made things worse. Because that was the only thing he could do right, fuck things up.

And crying. God if he was a crybaby. Foolish enough to keep waiting for someone to come and hug him, comfort him until he was out of tears. His father would be so disappointed if he saw him now, all teary due to a prince, crush, love interest, whatever. He couldn't be the strong man he wanted him to be. He couldn't live up to anyone's expectations. He was a failure, even to Keith. Keith probably thought he wasn't worth fighting for, that he'd mistaken him for someone actually worthy of value, and he'd now made his mind. 

It was ok, people mistaked him for something great all the time.

He wiped a single tear off the corner of his eye, turned around and found the eyes of the prince. Why was he there? What else did he want from him? Hadn't he played enough with his heart already? 

He averted his gaze, secured his satchel and walked past him once more to where they'd left their horses.

Shit, no. Keith should say something, do something. He turned around and grabbed Lance's wrist, pulling him back to face him. 

Every single word he hadn't thought of yet drowned in those beautiful eyes, in which he stared for a long, silent time. Seconds turned into minutes, unable to find his voice. But what to say? 

No matter how badly he wanted it, they couldn't be together after this. They couldn't have their happily ever after. So was he just supposed to leave Lance like this, go back to his own boring, horrible life? No. He should explain. Just tell him what you're feeling. Lance will appreciate it. 

"I.. I want to be with you, Lance," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "I want to talk to you and laugh with you and cry with you. I want to hold you, and I want you to hold me back. I want to touch you, to kiss you, to.." Keith looked down and blushed. Not the time. 

He couldn't do this while looking in Lance's eyes, knowing his mind would spin at the sight of those eyes. "But.." Keith hesitated. "But I can't- I won't be responsible for anything happening to you. If anyone in the Castle sees how much I care about you, how much I.." He bit his lip and swallowed the word 'love'. 

"They'll kill you. It's just those stupid... Those stupid laws. I'm a Prince, I can't.. It's not allowed. For God's sake, Lance, I'm getting married. And even though I don't want to, I don't have any say in that. And I.. I don't know what to do." His last words came out in a whisper, hating to admit his own impotence again.

The moment he was forced to stay in place, Lance caught his breath. He wanted to run, to get away from him like a coward trying to escape his problems, but he was nailed to the ground by the prince's - perhaps too strong - grip. 

But then he spoke, slow words full of emotion that told him he may have gotten the wrong idea, that maybe he was wanted by him, liked, even. He kept silent for a brief seconds until he finally dared to look at him again, his eyes filled with the same troubled emotion as him, and sighed. 

"You're not responsible. Since the moment I tried to approach you I knew what I was getting into, and it's all on me. Heck, everyone knows what will happen to foolish peasants that dare to attach with royalty." His eyes fluttered down to the strong grip that still kept him on the ground. 

"...I guess I am a fool, for falling for the prince. I don't know what got into me." He laughed vaguely at his own stupidity. Was he trying to get himself killed? No. Did he care? He gulped, biting his lip hard once more. 

"...But I do know one thing, and it's that, when I'm with you.... Despite knowing being with you should be wrong? Everything feels... right." His heart spoke for him, as he hesitantly reached to hold his hand on his.

"It feels... Like I should run away, I'm excited and.. terrifed, at the same time. I feel... I can be myself with you, and you can be yourself with me, too. Like we could be happy... Together," he murmured, looking at those gorgeous, mysterious indigo eyes with a small smile. 

"And the odds? I don't care about them." He laughed again at his own nonsense. "I know you're a prince with duties and responsibilities and I'm... Nowhere near your reach. Yet for some weird reason you want me..." A reason he didn't understand, but that was besides the point. At least for now, he wanted to believe Keith's feelings were real as well, any other thing would hurt. 

"I know prince Lotor won't make you happy, but I do want to... I want to try, take risks, fight... To be with you. To make you happy, If you allow me..." He intertwined their hands, bringing Keith's closer to his own heart so he could feel how fast it beat for him. 

"If it's so wrong, why does it feel so right? ...You, us, feel right. If you really want me, trust me... We'll find a way. I know we will."

All Keith's worries, all his arguments melted away under the bright light of Lance's smile. Nothing in the world had any power against those eyes, against Keith's desire to be with him. 

Lance wanted to fight. How could he refuse? So many things were wrong about this. He was bringing Lance in danger, he could get him killed. He was a Prince. Lance deserved better than him. But.. 

Keith melted into a puddle at his touch. Lance did something to him, something strange. Something amazing. With him, Keith felt both better and more insecure, because he could never be good enough for Lance, but at the same time he knew that Lance would accept him with all his imperfections. Like him, even. Love him? 

His eyes fluttered up to find Lance's glowing blue ones. "I.." He took another step closer. "We shouldn't.. It's too dangerous.. I.." But Keith had nothing else to say. 

Lance's breath tickled his lips, and Keith's gaze flickered down to Lance's pink, peachy ones. What was he doing? All thought disappeared from Keith's head as he set his hand on Lance's chest and gently leaned forward.

Lance's heart stopped the moment the prince stepped closer, so close it had him paralyzed and catching his breath at his touch. And then he was leaning towards him. 

What was he doing? Was he about to kiss him? He... He wasn't sure if he should reciprocate him. Keith hadn't looked alright with the previous tiny kiss on his hand, how could the brunette know he wouldn't be pushed away this time? If Keith did that... He wasn't sure he could take being rejected again. He was scared. Scared of what might happen.

But the prince's hot breath clashed against his own, making his eyes travel down his beautiful rose pink lips, slightly parted with desire. It made his blood rush through his veins, his pulse quicken, his face blush madly and his mind? It went off completely, clouded with longing of knowing what those lips tasted like. He just had to find out or he'd go completely mad. 

He'd hesitated so much the prince had looked up at him again, perhaps thinking Lance wouldn't return the kiss. But he gently placed a hand to his soft cheek, the other still tightly intertwined with his hand, and looked at his eyes fondly before leaning to him.

And no word was needed when their lips met, gentle and sweetly, softly like the prince's lips.

Oh god. Oh my god. He'd had meant for this to happen, he'd instigated it, but it still shocked him. Lance's lips were rougher than he'd expected. They looked so soft and smooth from a distance, but sent shivers down his spine as they chaved over his own. 

Keith had never kissed before, obviously. He'd barely touched anyone volunteerily. Lance had definitely kissed before, the way his lips moved and his hands so gently brushed Keith's face. It felt good, but weird. Very wet. 

The Prince didn't know a lot about kissing -his sexual education had consisted of Shiro and Adam's public intimacy, when they'd still been together-, but he was pretty sure you could do it with or without tongue. This was without. But why was it so wet? How was he supposed to move his lips? 

Lance seemed to take charge, which Keith was glad for. Keith pulled back a little, his eyes fluttering open to look at every detail of Lance's face, before leaning back in and reconnecting their lips. His fingers crawled up Lance's chest, into his neck, feeling that warm skin beneath his fingertips.

The hunter couldn't help giggling slightly against his lips. He didn't need to look at him to tell this was his first, slightly awkward kiss due to how tense he was and the lack of movements. And he was oddly glad. 

Very, because he couldn't believe how him, out of all people on earth, was the first person to ever get this far with the prince. The exaggeratedly handsome prince. 

Sure, his cold attitude might have scared away many of his suitors, but he knew he must've had crushes or even romantic interests before meeting him. Perhaps even experienced stuff with some of his guards. That's what village thought about princes, anyway. But nope. 

Here he was, Leandro Lance McClain, taking Prince Yorak Keith Kogane of Daibazaal's first, innocent kiss. The thought itself made his heart flutter. 

And so he proceeded to take his waist and pull him closer, caressing his cheek with his thumb as he let the kiss start with no more than subtle pressing and gentle kisses, taking the lead and slowly guiding the prince's sweet lips with their own. Just gentle openings, slight brushing of tongue, before he slowed it down with sweet, affectionate pecks and backed away slightly, still holding him in his arm. 

He flickered his gaze to his eyes and smiled warmly at him as his thumb gently brushed the prince's wet lips, his heart still fluttering inside him. "I hope it was good, for your first kiss," he murmured softly.

Though the kiss had been the sweetest, softest thing he'd ever experienced, Keith was completely out of breath. His mind was spinning, as though not quite realising what had just happened. 

They had kissed. They had really kissed. And Keith liked it? Lance's every touch, every movement felt like fire through his skin, and only Keith's own clumsy actions kept him grounded, to embarrassed to loosen up. Maybe another time he'd be better. Lance deserved the world's best kisser, though that spot was already taken by the hunter himself. 

Keith slowly caught his breath, not daring to take his eyes off the blazing, blue ones in front of him, and nodded softly, taking a small step back so they weren't pressed together anymore. 

"Yes," he breathed. "Yes, it was. It was good, Lance." He had completely forgotten their earlier argument. It all seemed so small right now, the memory of Lance's sweet lips still etched clearly in his mind. They had really kissed. 

Keith had expected his first kiss to be at his wedding, with Lotor, but this was many times better. Lotor would never taste thís sweet, feel thís good. Lance just had something, something magical. 

Something that made Keith want to dance and cry and laugh and break down all at the same time. 

Something he knew he could never truly posses, but would always long for. 

Something like love.


	21. Apparently People Get Stupider With Alcohol

Giggling softly once more, Lance took a moment to admire the absolutely gorgeous man in front of him, how entranced he seemed due to him and how innocent yet charming he looked. Unfair. 

"I'm glad," he cooed. "Because as long as you allow me, there'll be many kisses to come." He leaned to press a kiss to his forehead, taking a few seconds to finally let him go and step back. Still holding one of his hands though. For some reason, It felt too distant to not hold him In some way now. 

"Let's talk about this all you want while eating, alright? I'm starving." He chuckled and led him out of the forest to where their horses rested calmly near the grass. He told him to wait while he took a bit of distance from them. He didn't want the prince to see him skinning and cutting the animal in pieces, that would certainly take all his appetite away, even make him want to not eat rabbit anymore In his life. 

He still remembered his first catch, a rather big boar that had chased him through the woods. He'd eventually had no option but to finish him off. Tiny Lance had felt guilty afterwards and even cried, but after many catches he'd stiffened, 'manned-up', like his father would say. It was the circle of life, and someone had to do the dirty job. 

After cleaning the dispensable organs, cooking the meat in the fire along garlic, tomato, pepper and herb salt - which he'd bought in the village market -, he placed it on two plates and added the remaining tomato next to It. That added tenderness, though that also depended on how he shot the rabbit and how old it was, but he would say it was pretty tender. Tender enough for princey tastes? He really hoped so. He wasn't an expert like Hunk, but he'd had to learn how to cook in the wilds to, well, not starve himself to death. 

He returned with the plates in hand and sat near the spotted mare, motioning the prince to come closer and take his plate. "It's not anything royal, but... I hope you like it," he mused with a sideways smile.

Keith hurried over to him, too entranced by the boy to be embarrassed, and took the wonderful smelling meal from the boy. A large, flat rock seemed like a good place to sit, so he did, right next to Lance. He took his own, wooden spoon from his baggage and took a hesitant small bite, afraid to burn his tongue. And then another. And another. For a while, all that could be heard was his soft chewing and sweet hums of appreciation. And then he looked up at Lance. 

"This is.. This is really good," he said, a tone of surprise in his voice. Where had the boy learned how to cook? Why was he amazing at everything? Hunting, cooking, talking, flirting, dancing, kissing.. And many more things, presumably. Keith had eaten quite the cuisine back at the castle, all kinds of fancy vegetables and rare meats and mushrooms, but this was something else. It tasted... homelier, coming from Lance's making. 

Maybe it was just the fact that they were eating together, without other stupid royals, but Keith felt incredibly comfortable, maybe even more so than he'd ever felt before. While living in the Castle he was constantly tense, afraid of making mistakes or disappointing his father in any way. But here... Lance made him feel welcome, made him feel accepted, made him feel loved. 

Loved? Did Lance love him? Don't overreact, Keith. Just because he liked you and you kissed doesn't mean you can use the L word. Keith had never experienced love so strongly before, but boy, was he feeling it now. It would be stupid to assume his feelings were reciprocated. It didn't matter at the moment. Lance wanted to he with him for now, wanted to care for him. And Keith would let him, out here. 

So when he was done, he set his plate aside and leaned his elbows on his knees. "So, what did you wanna talk about?" he asked casually.

The hunter was so absorbed watching the prince eat the only reason he ate as well was his growling stomach telling his body to do so. He had to admit it was tasty and enough to make him feel nearly full, but Keith's reaction? It was more than he asked for, way more. He looked like he loved his improvised cooking. Was it because of the hunger? Probably because it was the most decent dish they'd had those days. He was very far from being an excellent cook like his friend, and he basically cooked for Keith every single day of the year, except christmas. 

He wondered how it was celebrated for the royals. Considering how unlucky Keith was with his family, they must've been pretty dull and empty. He wouldn't let the next one be like that for him, or any of his celebrations. He would keep him happy, as joyful as he could in such unfortunate gray life, he thought to himself as he finished his plate and licked his lips, placing him aside afterwards to keep paying attention to the gorgeous boy next to him, suddenly looking more cheerful and relaxed than ever before now with that pose, in that place.

"About us?" he smiled, looking all over the prince and his perfect everything, body, hair, face, lips, eyes. The bruises had vanished completely, making his natural beauty shine from the outside completely now that he looked happy. "About you," he thought out loud. He was sure he could spend hours and hours talking about him and never ever need a rest. Ah, he was absolutely smitten. Totally lovestr-- wait, no, stop. No. Not love. Not love. 

People never used that word seriously, they never meant it, that feeling wasn't for him. He'd never be-- stop thinking. Just stop. His expression fell slightly, but he quickly covered it up by stretching his arms a bit before placing them on his knees. What did he want to talk about again? About them. A sudden memory hit his mind, and he turned to the prince again, a confused expression set on his face. 

"Why... Did you let me escape? Your tower, I mean," he asked softly, grabbing a strand of grass to entertain his hands with something. "Back then you barely knew me... And I still was the thief that robbed your treasury. How come you let me escape?"

Keith paled a little as the memory came back to him. It had been a dark night, and his father had just announced he would be wed to Lotor. Not a good night. The 'thief' had shown up. Lance had come to bring him food, but he hadn't understood at the time. He hadn't known that Lance was an incredibly caring person. 

Keith could reennact just how he felt that night, his throat burning from his father's fingers, the iron poke raised high above his head, ready to strike, and doubt in his mind. 

"I.. I'm not sure. The smart thing to do would have been to capture you. My father would have been pleased, I might have been able to change his mind about needing a husband. But.." He hesitated. He did know why he'd let him go. 

"If I caught you, knocked you out, you would have been locked up, sentenced, executed. And I couldn't let that happen. No one should die for a little bit of gold. As I said then, I don't care about the money. Sure, you threatened to kill me, but I knew you weren't a bad person. Just desperate." He took a deep breath and looked up at Lance. 

"Besides, you have the most gorgeous eyes, and I couldn't let them die out, now could I?" A hesitant smile curved his lips, wanting to relief the gravity of the situation.

His eyes, of course. The brunette chuckled softly, wanting to let the subject cool down a bit as well and tilted his head. "You dork. Many people have blue eyes." Seriously he couldn't believe Keith had connected the thief to him due to his eyes. 

Was he that obvious? ...Well, he had to admit his eyes were a rather rare shade of blue, which changed into even weirder brighter shades with the light. However evolutionary speaking they weren't an advantage as the slightest sunray made his sensitive eyes hurt, but... He guessed they added charm to his physical features, since for some reason many people seemed to love that color. 

But what about Keith's? The prince's indigo eyes were far more interesting, mesmerizing than any he'd ever seen before. He wondered if that was even legal. It probably wasn't, nothing about Keith was. Damn prince charming. Back to the main topic? 

He doubted the king would have set his son free from arranged marriage so easily, but he decided to keep it to himself. What mattered was Keith sacrificing his own freedom for his life. It meant... It meant so much. 

"...Thank you, for, not hitting me with an iron poke," he said awkwardly, rubbing his nape. That would've probably killed him in the act, but once more, he kept it to himself. "And I guess I was desperate," he added more to himself than for the prince. Looking back he wondered if what he'd done was really worth it or the right thing to do, he still felt conflicted about that. No matter what, the prince seemed to understand. 

He turned to Keith once again, a more personal question lingering on his tongue. "Am I... The first person you've ever felt ok touching with? I mean, it really surprised me before that that was your first kiss," he said with honest surpise. "Because I thought... Damn, this guy is so cute? He must've fished many fish on the sea," he chuckled. "...But then I remembered touching isn't your thing."

Keith looked down at his lap and nodded quietly. Lance really was the first and only person he didn't mind touching. Shiro wasn't too bad. He trusted that man with his life, but it still felt deeply uncomfortable when they touched skin to skin. Lotor felt awful, colder than everyone else, like there was a frozen darkness inside him. Luckily, they barely touched except for during training. The king only touched him for punishment, so Keith barely noticed the flaming pain, masked by the usual pain. 

The worst were strangers, people he didn't know. They just had to brush past him, touch his body lightly, and he wanted to scream out in frustration. And when that Blade guy had touched him... It had been unbearable. But Lance.. Lance was different. 

Lance didn't feel like a stranger at all, didn't feel like an enemy. He felt like home. It couldn't hurt when Keith felt like he was touching a part of himself, the way Lance's soul was entangled with his own. 

"I have some issues with.. contact. You obviously noticed." Alright, that sounded stupid, of course Lance had noticed, he'd just mentioned it. "I just.. I really, really don't like people touching me. It feels- It feels like somethings burning my skin." He looked up at Lance and a watery smile curved his lips. 

"But after that night we spent together, it stopped. With you, at least. Maybe it was the way we were forced to lie close to each other, maybe it was something else. But it doesn't hurt anymore." His smile widened. 

"And I'm glad it doesn't, because I want to-" He cut himself off just in time. Don't get ahead of yourself, Keith. It would be inappropriate to speak your mind now. "Because I want to be close to you," he finished lamely.

Burning his skin. Those words tickled the tanned boy's ears, instantly making him widen his eyes and feel sorry for every time he'd accidentally, or on purpose, touched him without his permission. He knew it had to hurt somehow, but not like that. 

But the prince continued with 'the night they spent together'. It had been a heinous, merciless night, and at some point in the middle Lance thought they would literally die. He wished he never had to experience something like that ever again. However... 

The prince had just dragged him through the storm, he remembered lulling the prince to sleep, staring to each other in his arms, and waking up the morning after with Keith in his arms. He seriously couldn't stretch that enough, and he felt his heart instantly warming up at the rather cold, freezing memory. He didn't know what, but it was probably something else that made Keith trust him enough to that extent. Perhaps a feeling...? 

And Keith finished talking, for a moment sounding like he'd cut himself off from saying something he shouldn't say. Obviously Lance loved teasing, so his already smily face became a more knowing and sassy smirk, as his fingers walked across the rock to gently meet the prince's hand. 

"I see... How close is 'close'?" he asked cheekily, slowly moving closer and closer until he was right next to the prince. As if it wasn't enough - which it wasn't -, he tilted his head towards Keith's, but only kept looking at him with an interrogation in his eyes.

Lance was a fucking asshole. He knew Keith couldn't deal with these things properly, and yet he was asking him these obviously pointed questions. What did he expect? 'I want to have sex with you'? 'I want you to touch me intimately'? Yeah, Keith could never say things like that, even though some part of him felt that strong desire. 

He flushed red and looked down again, staring at their intertwined hands. Lance's looked so dark against his own pale skin. It was like Lance was pure life,and Keith was some kind of disease or illness, destroying anyone who came too close. He bit his lip and revelled in the feeling of Lance's shoulder and thigh against his own. Not close enough, but Keith was already freaking out. 

"I.. Yes. I mean, I don't know. I just... Close. Closer, I think." He could handle this, he liked it. And his eyes found their way up to Lance's face, cheeks still tainted a soft pink colour, and he smiled softly. "I'll have to find out how close is 'close'. It might take me a while." 

Would he let Lance touch him? Did Keith want to? Definitely. He couldn't wait to feel Lance's soft but rough hands on his skin. But he was also a bit scared. What if he didn't like it? What if Lance didn't like it? He squeezed Lance's hand and lay both their's on his own knee, taking in a sharp breath.

The brunette held a chuckle at the prince's flustered reaction, which was exactly what he'd been aiming for, but couldn't hold back his own blush the moment Keith gave him that look; naive, innocent, affectionate... Loving. He felt his heartbeat increasing. Ah, what a beautiful smile. 

He already knew how close close was for himself. He wanted to hold him In his arms and never let him go, just like he'd always wanted, just like he'd always needed. For someone to hold and hold him in return. He caressed his knee with his thumb, placing his other hand on top of Keith's afterwards to warm it up. 

"It's alright," he cooed softly with a smile, looking into his peculiar eyes. "I'll wait for you as long as it takes, no matter how close 'close' ends up being." He leaned to press a soft kiss on his cheek, making a tiny sound with his lips on purpose. He wasn't sure how much time they would had, assuming that, for some reason, the prince continued to meet with him even after returning to the castle. Regardless of that he would wait, always.

Keith could have stared into those eyes forever, drowning in their deep blue. But after a little over five minutes, it was getting weird. He looked down, grinning in embarrassment, and stood up. "Yes. Thank you. We should probably... We can stay here tonight, just relax a bit. A good night's sleep would do us both good, I think." 

A thought flew through his mind. Were they gonna sleep together tonight? Of course not together together, but both in his tent. Or maybe both in the open. The idea made his mind spin a little, not sure if he could handle that. He was being stupid, they had slept together before. But what if he somehow fucked it up, turned back the changes regarding his acceptance of intimacy? What if he woke up tomorrow, arms around Lance and burning in pain. The fear to disappoint Lance once again overwhelmed him. 

Calm down, Keith. Lance wouldn't leave you for that. He likes you. What Keith really needed was a distraction, something to take his mind off the worries spinning through his head. Something to calm him down, let him sleep peacefully. 

Something like a drink. 

He turned around to where his saddle lay loose on the floor, and fumbled in his bags until he pulled out a small bottle containing light brownish liquid. It wasn't much, but it was strong. Just a small sip would make everything so much easier. Would Lance mind? Probably not. Keith was easier to handle when he was tipsy. Less uptight, more willing to do things. But he wouldn't get drunk. Drunk Keith did stupid things, as he knew all too well. 

He stopped a few steps away from Lance, not facing him, and took a sip. God, that was strong. The smooth, hot liquid burned his throat and made his insides feel nice and warm. He stood still, debating whether to offer Lance some too. It wouldn't be wise to both let their guard down, dangers still lurking in these woods.

Lance, who'd been changing the bandages that covered a bruise on his ankle, caught the prince drinking with the corner of his eye. "Thirsty, my prince?" he teased, raising his face towards him. He had no idea what that was - it probably was some rich alcohol a peasant like him could never dream of tasting - nor could've expected him to bring alcohol to the mission but not weapons. Keith truly was something. 

He tied the bandage accidentally using too much force, making his face contour in pain. Each hit he'd recieved during the fight still hurt, and the cut on his eyebrow itched, but he swallowed down all of that in front of Keith so he wouldn't worry. He suddenly felt the need of drinking from that bottle as well to forget about the pain even if it was momentarily, his lips opening against his will. 

"Can I..." He trailed off and looked to the side. He couldn't ask him for that. He couldn't ask for anything that was prince worthy. That bottle was probably valued higher than himself. "Nevermind."

Keith turned around and saw Lance cringe in pain. Oh god. Oh fucking god. He was the worst person ever. Lance was still injured, and he'd forgotten all about it. But Lance could hide his pain so easily, fool Keith with his pretty smile and smooth movements. 

Keith took a few hesitant steps forward and knelt down by his side. He would never have done this with anyone else, but Lance was special, and he needed attention. "Lance, are you.. Are you okay?" He bit his lip and let his gaze glide over Lance's body, with the intention of checking for injuries. But all it did was paint his cheeks a bright red colour as he realised what he was doing. He couldn't look at Lance like that. What was he doing? Keith blamed his shameless inappropriateness on the alcohol, though he hadn't even drunk that much. 

Then he held out the small flask. "Come on, drink. It will feel better. This stuff is quite strong, so be careful." Was that what Lance had wanted to ask? Why didn't he just ask, if he wanted? Was he scared, intimated even? Keith was still a Prince, and Lance was still just a guard. The hunter had been 'beneath' royalty all his life, could Keith change that feeling? He hoped so, he didn't want to be above Lance. He wanted to be beside him, in his arms, on his lips...

The hunter widened his eyes, freezing the moment Keith dropped his prince status aside entirely and knelt beside him to check how he was feeling. He knew Keith was more than a prince, in fact that was just a part of who he was, the rest being his own kind, caring person. However he wasn't used to that version of him yet, still getting taken aback by his humble actions. 

He tensed when Keith started analizing his body being this close - because hell, he was close - feeling warmth crawling up his cheeks then watching the same happen to the prince. And then he offered him the flask. The expensive, royal kind of drink. 

"I... I shouldn't..." he muttered hesitantly. First of all because who was he to drink from the same flask as the prince? He blushed even harder at the though of that, despite them having already kissed. 'You're not a teen anymore, Lance. Man up.' He heard those words in the voice of his father, and reached for the flask. Wait. He needed to take care of Keith, and he said it was quite strong.

Eh, he had high alcohol tolerance. How strong could that be? Whatever it was, he was sure he was stronger. He held the bottle and finally took it to his lips, taking a - rather big - sip from the content and instantly feeling the quality; It was sweet, spicy, creamy, malty. Hot. It dominated his mouth and throat with such strong flavours, impossible to miss. For the layers of complexity it was easy to tell that was made and only made for royalty, and indeed, it was strong.  
And he took another sip because what the hell was that. 

"Holy shit," he let out, handing the flask to Keith once more and still taking in the experience. "That's like, the best alcohol I've ever tried? My god." He chuckled slightly and looked Keith in the eyes. "Thank you."

Keith smiled softly and nodded. He knew exactly how Lance felt, and hesitated before taking another gulp as well, before closing the flask again. He couldn't let Lance be tipsier than him. Then again, this was a lot more than he'd intended to drink. 

"You still haven't answered my question," he mused, looking back up at Lance. "I'll.. I'll help you. Here, let me-" He gently pushed against Lance's shoulder until the hunter lay his back on the cold rock, and knelt back down next to him. It felt weird, but he should make sure Lance was alright. It was his fault he got injured. 

His soft, bare fingers worked with absolute gentleness as he pulled Lance's cloak aside and let his fingers roam over his chest. There was blood on his shirt, somewhere near his hip. Keith pulled the tainted fabric up and gasped softly. The shallow cut wasn't bleeding anymore, at least, but it was wide, and scared Keith a little. He could handle injuries on himself, but not on Lance. Lance was too pretty to get hurt. 

"Do I.. Can I bind it or anything? I.. I don't know what to do, I've never learned healing." He took a deep breath and tried to focus on the parts of Lance's skin that weren't injuries, and blushed furiously. He could see the skin just above his pants, his sharp, tan abdomen muscles standing out clearly in the afternoon light. Oh god.

Lance had stopped working the moment Keith pushed him against the rock, his heart hammering against his ribcage barely allowing him to think properly as his face blushed more and more violently at the pale fingers touching him over his clothes. My god. My god my god my god my god. That wasn't just happening. 

And then Keith lifted his shirt. That was It. He was too close, and he was going too fast. His brain literally couldn't follow the things happening with Keith above him, the afternoon light creating strong contrast on his hair and handsome features only making It more difficult. 

"H-Hey, easy," he muttered, still bright red and slightly tense. He felt vulnerable in this position, with his cut skin exposed and Keith staring at him. He didn't like it. His instincts begged him to sit up again to protect himself better, in case danger attacked.

But Keith looked truly concerned, like he truly wanted to at least try to help him in any way possible. Plus, he knew Keith didn't mean to make him so tense, and he really wanted to feel just as safe as Keith probably felt with him. 

So he placed a hand over his and the other rised to touch his cheek gently, in an attempt to let his guard down a bit. "I'll be fine, really," he said softly. "But If you're really that worried... I guess you could bind It for me...?" he said with a nervous smile and looked to the side, where he'd left the rest of his bandages and first aid basic tools. 

"But I can do It. I... I'm not used to other people treating my wounds, or.. helping me In general." He let go of his cheek, feeling a tad uncomfortable.

Keith glanced down at his face and immediately backed away, dropping his shirt back down. Oh fuck. He looked down at his shaking hands, and cursed silently. He'd been so worried about his own discomfort, that he'd totally disrespected Lance's. Why was he so goddamn stupid? Maybe it was the drink, or maybe he was just an idiot. Maybe both. Of course Lance didn't want him thát close. 

"I.. I am sorry. I'll get your.." He didn't finish his sentence and turned around to search Lance's bags for the small aid kit. He set it by Lance's side and turned around, sitting on a rock a few feet away. Even looking at him seemed inappropriate now. Shit shit shit. 

His head spun and he grabbed his temple to keep himself steady. Great, now he was stupid ánd drunk. He should just go to sleep before he fucked something else up. Keith was incredibly confused. How could he be weak enough to both nót be able to touch people while at the same time getting way too close, way too fast. Lance was probably already regretting getting close to him, kissing him.

After a moment of regret, the brunette sat up and searched around the kit for gauze and tiny scissors to bind his wound, silently wincing from the pain. But that was so much better than having someone else doing it for him. He could do it by himself, like he'd done with the rest of things in life, not needing anyone. 

However the expression of regret on the prince hadn't been pleasing, and instead of sitting by his side he'd sat too far from him. He didn't want that, nor he meant for that to happen. Shit. Why couldn't he just let other people take care of him, give him the affection he longed to recieve? Why couldn't he trust his actions? 

"Keith...?" he spoke clear enough for the prince to hear him. "I didn't mean to push you away, I'm- just not used to people... Actually caring for me," he muttered hesitantly, biting his lip afterwards. He couldn't see Keith when he was giving him his back. Was he upset? He'd offered his help to Lance and he'd rejected it. Maybe... 

"I didn't bring any mirror with me so I can't see the cut in my eyebrow... " he said doubtful, taking a piece of cotton and soaking it with alcohol. "Would you mind... helping me clean it, please?" Ah, what was he doing? Those words felt so weird on his mouth. He'd never ask for help. Plus, he'd never ask for help to a prince. That was just beyond morals.

Those words seemed to take some of the tension away. Lance didn't hate him, not yet at least. He still had a chance. He turned around and stood up quickly, too quickly maybe, before making his way to Lance. It took him a moment to steady his shaking hand, and then raised it up to Lance's face, where the dried blood covered an ugly, but small cut. He tried to be as gentle as possible, but the sharp alcohol must sting at least a little. 

"I'm not used to that either, I guess," he murmered. "I have quite some walls up," he continued, though the alcohol had started slowly breaking them down. He carefully rubbed over the wound until it was clear of blood and Keith could see the healing skin underneath. It seemed to be doing alright. Lance could never look bad, of course but the cut kind of made him look even more badass. 

"But I want to take care of you. I care about you, a lot." He smiled absentmindedly and began humming a soft song. Drunk Keith had no control over his actions, and he'd taken way too much to be considered 'tipsy'. He could only wait until the alcohol really began to work, and hope he wouldn't do anything embarrassing. It had already started lowering his personal boundaries, apparently, since he was nearly sitting in Lance's lap.

As soon as the cotton made contact with his cut, Lance felt the urge to back away, biting his lip hard to avoid whining. But he forced himself to stay in place or Keith could get the wrong idea again. 

And then he said that one phrase that almost made his heart jump, but definitely turned his cheeks a light pink and his entire body warmed up. "You're too sweet." Those words escaped his lips softly without him intending to. How come he'd said that out loud? He still felt the burning alcohol in his throat, but he could fight it's effects a while longer. He was sure. 

Despite that thing being the strongest alcohol he'd ever tried.  
And despite him having drinking It too fast.

Yeah, he could manage.

But the prince didn't seem to be doing so well, and before he knew it, he was hovering straddling over his lap, ready to sit on it. His heart missed a beat. "Woah- K-Keith?" he muttered with surprise and a bright red face, not entirely sure if Keith was still concious of his actions or if he'd completely lost it.

Keith's eyelashes fluttered and he giggled. He wanted to get closer to Lance, but mentally and physically. Lance was so cute and sweet and kind, and Keith leaned over to whisper in his ear, as if telling him a secret. 

"I like you, Lance," he breathed, the alcohol clear in his breath and voice. Then he backed away again, suddenly realising their proximity, and nearly fell off. He only remained sitting by clutching unto Lance's shirt. 

"I don't.. I think the drink is messing with me balance." His words sort of slurred together, his tongue unable to move properly. He pushed his face into Lance's chest and closed his eyes to counteract the spinning. Lance's steady heartbeat drummed against his forehead, sounding slightly elevated. 

"I don't want to be a Prince anymore," he croaked, not sure whether Lance would hear him. He had drunk way too much, and barely had enough sense left to know he was being too open with Lance.

At first, Lance tensed by the feeling of the pale boy's hot breath against his ear and the weight of his body on his lap, but he heard his words. The words that made him widen his eyes and his heart flutter. He already knew, yet he tended to forget and being told about it made it feel more real. More tangible. 

Then as soon as he felt him about to fall he quickly grabbed his sides in reflex. God, he sounded so drunk already. Mister I-can-handle-my-own-drink my ass. How could one person be so careless and drink more than he could handle?

But then the prince muttered something.

Something sane Keith wouldn't have let out so soon, so easily. That made the brunette's heart sink. "...I'm sure not everything's bad..." he tried to improvise despite feeling his head starting to cloud, slowly wrapping his arms around him. "I mean, you have this maids that do everything for you, food In your plate every day, not having to work also sounds pretty tempting," he murmured, staring at Kalt trying to play with Kosmo. 

Of course a prince had to work, study lots and then rule his people. But not a back breaking job that had you awake at first hour in the morning to then work your ass for the rest of the day to gain the minimun salary. "You can have anything you want and the best of studies... and a warm place to sleep In winter."

Keith was being selfish, he knew that. Lance was right. He had everything he could possibly want. The best food in the kingdom, a safe bed, servants at his every whim. But.. He didn't want any of it. 

"I know," he whispered, pulling away from Lance's chest and looking down at his hands. "I have everything, but.." He hesitated. Lance would think he was spoiled, ungrateful. Maybe he was. "I don't.. I don't want it. I just want to be free, be happy, be with you. And I.." He hesitated again. He really shouldn't tell Lance all of this. It was secret, it was shameful. But his drunken tongue didn't listen to his sensible mind. 

"I don't want the pain anymore," he said in barely more than a whisper, looking up at Lance with terror in his eyes. "I don't.. I can't take it." Not that which his father gave him, nor Lotor, nor anyone else. And there was nothing he could do about it. He had to sit up straight and keep his face neutral. He couldn't show emotion. But right here, in the middle of the forest with Lance, no one could hear him. Perhaps not even Lance, since his whisper was so low, and he couldn't control his volume.

Free, happy, with him. Even if the tanned boy hadn't been able to hear him, he already knew what he would say, the things his eyes screamed in horror for. Screamed for help. It wasn't a secret. He'd seen it on the first day they'd gone riding together. The recent and less recent bruises gave away his body was constantly mistreated by someone of the inside, and there wasn't anyone capable of touching the prince and hiding it other than the king itself. 

Still, hearing Keith would throw aside his luxurious life and everything he owned to escape the other royals around him made his heart twist and turn painfully. His lips pressed into a grimace, his eyes full of compassion as he leaned to press his lips against his forehead softly before looking back at him once more.

"...I know," he said just as quietly, careful not to startle the fragile creature in his arms. "I know. The life of a prince shouldn't be like that, you're just... unlucky." Unfortunate. He remembered his mom telling him about the kingdom years back, when Queen Krolia was still present and ruled with a humble heart. He was sure if she was still here, Keith's life would've been better. Perfect, even. A sad smile curved on his lips. 

"I wish... I could get you out of there, fight away whoever tried to hurt you." He placed a hand on his cheek, the other still tightly wrapped around his waist. He didn't know if it was due to the alcohol or his own loose tongue, but he kept talking, despite knowing he shouldn't promise things like that. 

"...I'll do everything on my power to help you, alright? Someday... Someday you'll be free, I promise." He cooed with the same shaky smile while caressing his cheek. "So hold on a bit, be strong, and trust me. Okay?"

Keith leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. Lance was sweet, so sweet, but so naive. "I thought I would just have to wait until my father... Until I got to rule. And then it would all be over. I would have been free, besides having to rule Daibazaal. But.." He dug his fingers into his upper arms until it hurt. 

"But I made too many mistakes. And now.. Now I lost my chance at freedom. I have to-" His voice broke as a soft sob burst through. "I have to marry him." He shivered involuntarily. "Lance, I don't wanna marry him," he whined. "I can't marry him. He's mean and rude and stupid, and I don't like him one bit. I hate him," he breathed. 

"I like you. I want marry you, not Loturd. I hate him. I don't wanna hold hands or kiss or.." His voice trailed away as his mind floated. It was strange, how his voice got so much steadier when talking about his true feelings, about the things he never told anyone else." I don't wanna marry him. I was supposed to be free, supposed to escape. And now.. I can't run. They'll find me, and I can't leave my people like that. I can't get rid of Lotor. And I can't do anything about my father, except stop messing up to not give him any reason to.. to.." He couldn't say the words out loud.

Lance's mind could easily fill the blank spaces the desperate prince left between sentence and sentence, hearing everything he already knew or had already guessed. But one thing was new; Keith saying he wanted to marry him. Marry, him. 

The hunter would've laughed at that statement if the conversation was different. If, hypothetically speaking, he married Keith, he would become a prince. A king, even. And he couldn't. But that's a topic for later In this story. For now, Keith kept talking, venting himself until he trailed off and Lance bit the inside of his cheek. "Hey, breathe..." he spoke, his hands making their way to gently hold Keith's own and stop him from hurting himself. 

"I know how much of an asshole Prince Lotor can be.... I've been there." Literally, standing at dinner as the hideous prince made Keith's life impossible, and had also experienced it first hand. Lotor had literally sent him to hunt for him or die. 

"And the thought alone of him laying his hands on you..." he spoke in a tone filled with anger and hatred, momentarily looking down with a frown of the same feelings. Despite that, he sighed and looked at him again. 

"But not everything's lost. You'll eventually be king, right? Then you won't have any reason to keep being with him. You make your own rules." He played with his soft hands in an attempt to distract him, doing his best to dig the positive side. A ray of hope in the dark pit he was sunk. 

"I know that doesn't quit you having to marry him.... But it doesn't have to be permanent, Keith. You can still, eventually, be free. I wish there was another alternative... There probably is. You just... Have to resist, fight, and it will come to you." He flinched slightly as his head started to get all foggy and dizzy, the effects of the drink finally piercing through him. He let go of his hands to wrap his arms around him once more to mantain himself steady, locking his eyes on those indigo pearls to also keep himself awake.

Keith had a few different ways to be drunk. Flirty Keith, in which he was easily manipulated and hard to calm down. Angry Keith, where he mostly just thrashed around his room and screamed at everyone he could see. Sad Keith, which was probably the least dangerous, and the most common. And most importantly, Open Keith. 

The last version, the state he was in now, allowed him to speak his mind about everything that bothered him, everything he hated in life. It was the reason he feared drinking too much. He couldn't divulge any real information, but it was already too late. He'd told Lance so much, and he didn't really have the strength to argue anymore. But Lance didn't understand. 

"I will never have any power, not even when I'm crowned king. I won't be a ruler, not really. Lotor will always be above me, control me. My father will make sure of that. I.. I don't wanna live under his rule, Lance. The things he could do... Well, you know what he's like. You met him. He's horrible, absolutely disgusting. I hate him. And I've got to.. I've got to marry him," he whispered. 

"And then in a short time we will both be king, 'rule together'. But not really. I'll never be free, and it's useless to try to escape. It'll only get you hurt. Just.. Give up, please."

The last words reached Lance's feelings In the worst possible way, his eyes flinching along for a brief moment. There he was again, trying to push him away after climbing on his lap and opening up. It wasn't fair. His heart had already been used as a toy too many times to handle being played with once more. 

For a moment he tried to listen to the prince's request, analizing the factors and everything that could go wrong. He knew it was nearly impossible to get out of that. He knew, and still... 

"No," he said bluntly with a smile, starting to laugh afterwards, even more at Keith's confused expression. "Never." He leaned to lay his head near Keith's neck, tightening the embrace to feel him closer and letting his scent keep his feet on the ground as the sun started to set. 

"I know there's like, a million things that can go wrong and an entire world between us, but... If things really are that complicated, why am I, holding you, right here and right now, in my arms?" he spoke calmly. 

"If you think about it it's almost impossible for a servant like me be even near you, I despised royalty, and it was impossible for you to muster a smile and touch me before, but here we are." He started tracing patterns with one hand on Keith's back absentmentally. 

"Things right now seem impossible and permanent, and they just seem to escape our hands. But if you think about it it's us, and only us, that have the power to change it. To make it possible. I know there's a way, there has to be, even more than one. And I'll never, ever stop believing, hoping, we'll be together one day. Without boundaries. So please stop asking me to give up, because I simply won't." He closed his eyes with a weak smile. 

"I'll never give up on you, Keith. I'll never stop fighting... Because I..." He trailed off. "Because you're so damn special to me, I'll keep going."

Keith had so much to argue against that. They could never be together, no matter how hard they fought. Keith couldn't get out of this marriage to Lotor, and even if he could, a Prince could never be with a servant. 

If Lance or he tried anything, tried to change their minds, they would get hurt. Lance may be killed, and the Prince couldn't let that happen. So why were Lance's words making him so happy? 

The promise to never give up lit Keith's heart and spread a soft smile over his skin. Lance was willing to fight... for him. Keith didn't quite understand, but he'd learned to accept a Lance's strange feeling. 

He was tired, so tired, and couldn't string two words together anymore, leaning against Lance's chest with all of his weight. "I'm tired, Lance," he whispered. "I'm so tired. We should head to bed." But he didn't get up, just continued to stare into those dazzling, slightly glazed eyes, as if waiting for something. Was he? Was he waiting for Lance to offer a place by his side in their sleep? Was he waiting for a kiss goodnight? Maybe. 

He traced his finger over Lance's upper arms and didn't lose eye contact for even a second. "You're pretty," he whispered.

Glad that the prince had finally stopped oppossing him and given up, Lance felt his cheeks tainting a light cherry color. God, Keith was too cute in this state, his face slightly red and rogue eyes, his hands shamelessly tracing his body... 

Maybe the brunette could've gotten all flirty if he wasn't tired as well. He'd barely slept those nights due to staying watch, so going to sleep sooner was probably a good idea. 

"And you're prettier" he whispered back, leaning his forehead against the prince's. "Despite being drunk. I don't think I'm physically capable of setting the tent on this state." He laughed briefly. He would never be able to set the sticks right with such low coordination. 

He glanced at the meadow; the rather warm temperature had long melted the snow, leaving a comfy ground afterwards. He carefully sat Keith on his side before getting up, swinging a little due to his dizzy head and made his way to the black mare. She let him approach her without a problem, and he took the blankets to set them on the grass. He also took his own cloak and folded it to make a comfortable pillow, before walking to Keith once again. 

He already looked like dozing off, so he took his waist and legs to lift him like, well, a prince, and gently layed him on the improvised bed afterwards. "Sleep, my prince. You'll feel better tomorrow." He leaned down to press a sweet kiss on his cheek, caressing his head gently. 

He wasn't sure if he should... Sleep with him. Keith hadn't said anything about it, so he assumed he didn't want that yet. He should keep watch anyway, despite knowing Blue roamed around the place. 

"Goodnight," he cooed, covering him with one of the blankets before getting up.

Keith was nearly asleep, but something was missing by his side. His strong fingers clenched around the bottom of Lance's cloak and stopped him, a soft whine escaping his throat. Just for the warmth, he told himself, knowing full well why he wanted Lance by his side. He needed that boy. The hunter made him feel warm from the inside out, and he wanted to he as close as he could. 

"Laaaanceee," he whined. "Don't go. I wannuh.. Uhhh.." What did he want again? He wanted a kiss. And a hug. Cuddle. Just Lance. 

"I want you," he finished eventually, not realising the weird double meaning of those words. He might feel embarrassed, tomorrow, if he remembered any of this. But right now, he just wanted that boy to wrap his arms around him. 

"I'm cooold," he lied dramatically, throwing the blankets off himself and laying spread eagled on the floor. "Come warm me up, my sweet man. I want you.. to.." His mind was slowly slipping away, only kept awake by the lack of Lance in his arms. His hands slipped off the fabric of Lance's clothes and he could only convince Lance to stay with his eyes. 

Lance looked pretty from here. And hot. Very sexy. That mean boy always looked sexy. Nah, Lance wasn't mean. "Lance is sweet," Keith murmered, not quite realising what he was saying at all.

Lance watched the scene play out with eyes as plates and a wild blush spread across his cheeks, trying not to burst out in laughter until the prince had finished talking. He raised a hand to his face, laughing deeply as his face shone bright red. 

"My god, Keith. You're so greedy," he said with a laugh. Greedy and drunk. Not the best combination, but his heart still fluttered with overwhelming affection. Keith hadn't only asked him to stay, to share the bed with him, to sleep by his side. But he'd also said he wanted him, his warmth. 

He seriously would have a heart attack due to this boy one of these days, and he knew he was falling for him, falling hard. So hard he doubted he'd ever want anyone else. No, he couldn't. After Keith, being with anyone else seemed pointless. 

"I can't say no to you, can I." He had him wrapped around his finger, and worst thing? Lance didn't mind. He kneeled once more and carefully got into the cover as well, right to his side. He pulled up the blankets and snuggled close to him, leaning his head in one arm and wrapping the other around his prince. "Satisfied?"

Keith made a weird, soft purring sound from the depths of his chest. That was better, way better. He crawled even closer to Lance, leaning his head against the boy's chest and staying quiet for a while. 

"Lance," he said suddenly. "I think I'm a little drank. Drink. Drunk." He looked up at the boy with wide eyes, as though he was scared of that truth. "I- I'm afraid I will tell you everything," he said. There was so much Lance didn't know. 

Even besides the whole mess back home, Keith didn't want him to know everything he felt for the hunter. He wanted to touch Lance, have sex with him. But he couldn't say that, Lance couldn't know. He should make up a good lie. 

"I definitely don't want you to touch me intimately. I don't want you to grab me and make me do everything you want. And I don't want to kiss you again," he said, pressing his lips to Lance's jaw, invalidating everything he'd said before. 

He did want all of those things, and more. But Lance couldn't know that. He pressed a finger to his lips and shushed hard. "Shhhh. Don't tell Lance. I do wanna do those.. Those actings. But he can't knoooww." He giggled and lay his head back down. 

At least Lance didn't know now. Lance couldn't know. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the body next to him. He wasn't even thát drunk.

...Lance could've facepalmed himself. As soon as the prince started talking about, well, that, his face went exaggeratedly red knowing Keith ment exactly the opposite. He'd already seen through his silence before, the way the prince checked him out when he wasn't looking and how badly he blushed when he got too close or said something suggestive said lots of things. 

But never could have he guessed Keith wanted those things to happen so badly that he'd brought it up while drunk, out of all things. Then he kissed his jaw, hushed him In a ridiculously hot way, and told him to stay silent. To himself. 

He seriously would've gotten very turned on if he wasn't so tired, although his heart was already racing wild. Plus having Keith so close to him? Not helping. It took him a while to recover his composture before his pulse went back to normal.

He stayed awake for a while, keeping guard and thinking about what Keith had secretly told him, taking in his sweet vanilla scent and playing with his soft hair. He didn't know what time it was when he finally decided to close his eyes.

And for Keith's good, he hoped he wouldn't remember this in the morning.


	22. You Are My Sunshine

The next morning the hunter woke up startled. In his dreams he'd been chased by a pack of wolves, bitten, hurt. He knew that was probably caused by the pain his actual bruises sent on him or his constant instincts of survival playing tricks on him. 

The sun was just rising, and the prince was still sound asleep in his arms. He smiled sweetly, his heart warming up at how utterly adorable he looked asleep. He wished he could find him like this every morning.

Keith was having the most amazing dream, just hanging out with Lance for an entire day, abandoned together in the Castle. No one else was there. 

Keith dragged Lance through the long halls, the air filled with sunshine and laughter, and they talked and smiled and ran until the sun set. It was so beautiful, the way the sun reflected on Lance's smooth features and cascaded off his shirtless body. Gorgeous. 

And then they crawled into Keith's own, red sheeted bed and cuddled until they fell asleep. Too bad it was just a dream. Or... 

Keith's eyes slowly fluttered open and the body half beneath him moved as well. It was Lance. They had fallen asleep together. Oh god, how had that happened? 

The headache pounded through Keith's head, but he managed to ignore it for long enough to pull Lance closer and push his face into that warm chest. He wasn't truly awake yet. 

When he realised what he was doing, his eyes widened and he backed away instantly. Waaayy too close. You didn't ask for permission, idiot. Had he pulled Lance close in his sleep? Had he done something inappropriate? Keith couldn't remember anything, the alcohol really having messing with his mind. 

He rolled onto his back and groaned out loud, reaching for his head. "Oh god... Good morning, Lance." The taste in his mouth was disgusting. Shouldn't have drunk that much.

"Good morning, handsome," the hunter replied with a soft chuckle, remembering everything that had happened yesterday. He was alright, he hadn't drunk that much and managed to get all of that on his system without a problem. Not unlike the cheap beer from the village, he'd had quite some trouble keeping It down. 

He lowkey wished Keith wouldn't have backed away so suddenly. Was he embarrassment or did he regret sleeping with him? He sure hoped that wasn't the case. 

He sat up and stretched his arms, yawning In the process before looking at the prince again. "How are you feeling? You didn't look so good yesterday," he commented casually, testing the prince to see if he remembered anything and to which extent.

Keith closed his eyes for a moment as he sat up. God, his head felt horrible. He hadn't looked good last night? Shit what had he done? 

"I'm.. I'm sorry for anything I might have done. I think I overestimated my own tolerance for that stuff. Did I.. Did I do anything embarrassing?" He brushed his hair back and tied it up. That was better. 

His cheeks carried a light red blush, afraid of anything Lance might say. What had he done? The tone of Lance's voice made the Prince think of unwanted kisses or embarrassing stories. He hadn't done anything inappropriate, right? 

He took a few steps to get away from the other boy and looked for his water flask in his bags. He was never drinking around Lance again. But then again, waking up in that boys arms was the most magical thing to ever have existed, and Keith definitely wanted that again. It'd be cool to remember how he'd gotten there, though. Had he forced Lance in any way? Had Lance wanted it too? 

He took a large gulp of water to get that filthy taste out of his mouth and turned back to Lance. "And I feel fine. Just a little headache, that'll pass."

Overestimated his tolerance indeed. But then again, that's what everyone did regarding alcohol. Lance had gotten up, folded the blankets before leaving them where he'd found them and headed to look for the oranges In his satchel. So Keith didn't remember anything? Anything at all? Like, at all? Damn. 

"You should be careful with how much you drink if you forget everything. People could take advantage of you or you could really mess things up," he suggested him in a firm but concerned tone while taking one of the oranges and his dagger. 

The prince had acted quite... revelatory, last night. Both regarding personal thoughts and acting in a suggestive flirtatious manner. Lance would never touch him if he wasn't fully aware of his actions, but many others wouldn't even hesitate. He himself, in his darkest moments, had drank to the point of waking up in houses of strangers, feeling sore and confused more than once.  
He wouldn't wish that for anyone. 

He cut the orange in four pieces and gave it to Keith before taking another one and doing the same, sitting on the rock from yesterday. 

"...You did call me 'your sweet man'," he said with a soft chuckle, cheeks turning red once more at the memory. "But I liked it. You didn't do anything else, we talked and went to sleep, but you told me to share the bed since you were cold. Nothing more." He decided it was probably better to keep last night a secret between drunk Keith and him, so the actual prince wouldn't feel embarrassed.

Keith's blush darkened a little, but he relaxed. That wasn't too bad. At least he hadn't spoken his mind about everything. "That's... That's good. I'll be more careful next time." He smiled softly at the other boy. How was it possible to look thát cute after just waking up? 

"Thank you, Lance, for taking care of me." Lance liking that nickname was interesting. Did he like other names as well? Keith had plenty of things he wanted to call that sweet boy. Baby. Honey. My love. The love of my life. My heart thief. But maybe not yet. What was he saying? They had just a little over a day left. 

"If we ride all day today, we should get back around noon tomorrow. And then.. Well, we'll see." Keith didn't want to go back, but it was the only option. His father would be furious about his broken promise. The wedding was coming up soon. Even though it hadn't been planned, his father would have it happen as soon as possible, especially now Keith had proven himself weak once more. 

He quickly finished his fruit, having trouble keeping all that juice in, and wiped his lips. It was still as sweet as Lance. "I'll promise not to get drunk again. It was stupid."

The tanned boy tilted his head, a certain phrase still present in his mind. 'Thank you for taking care of me.' He wished he could truly take care of him, protect him beyond the castle walls and prevent all bad things from happening to him. Right now he just did what he could. 

"It's alright, Keith, it was an accident. It happens." It would have been different if he'd gotten drunk on purpose. It took some effort for Lance to get drunk, and when he did It was usually on purpose. That wasn't good. He decided to trust Keith's promise on him being more careful while finishing his orange, the juice watering his dry throat, before getting up and stretching once again. 

"Shall we get going then?" he asked hesitantly, saving his coat on a bag. It was rather sunny today. A part of him wanted a mishap happening on their way back to delay their arrival, but he knew the King wouldn't be happy about it, and the longer they took the angrier he'd get... And the harder he'd take it on Keith. 

Plus he had to go back as well, his family should be worried sick. What about his mother? Was she still alright? He shivered at millions of thoughts going through his head about her and walked to set the saddle on the spotted mare.

Keith nodded hesitantly. The things he'd give to just stay here with Lance for days, weeks, forever maybe. But he couldn't. They'd have to go back eventually, and the sooner the better. 

He could guess what his father would say when Keith explained that the group had been two big for the two of them to handle, that he'd gotten himself captured. That they had 'escaped' without doing any sort of damage to the blades. The king wouldn't be impressed by his knowledge of this group. His father would... 

Keith took a deep breath to steady himself. He'd barely fucked up this bad before, and the punishment would suit his failure. But it was no use stressing over it. He'd deserved it. He should have been better, stronger. In two days, Lance would disappear and he'd be all alone once again. 

Keith quickly saddled his horse, secured his bags and swung his leg over. "Alright. Let's go." He gave the place they'd lain together one more look, and rode off, back into the shadowed forest, Lance close behind him. 

It took him a few minutes to get the thought of his father out of his head and look back at Lance, halting a little to let the boy ride next to him. "I really enjoyed last night, Lance. Even though I don't remember most of it." He chuckled to himself. 

"Last thing I remember is.. cleaning your eyebrow. And then..." He flushed bright red. Oh god. Had he tried to sit on Lance's lap, or was that just his messed up imagination? "Do you remember what happened next?" he asked hesitantly.

Lance gulped. He fidgeted with the reins while wondering If he should lie or make something up, but he didn't want to lie to him. However he didn't want to tell the full truth either. Maybe not digging on the subject too much would be the right thing? 

"It's a blurr," he started. It wasn't exactly a lie, his head felt dizzy and he saw everything with a thin layer of alcohol into him. "You got... Close to me." How close? He wouldn't tell. "You told me you liked me," he said with a soft smile, his eyes nailed to Kalt's blonde mane. 

"And then you started to slur about many things. About you, about us, but all of that were things I already knew so don't worry about It." Once again, he was saying the truth. "Then you got sleepy, told me I was pretty and I put you to bed. Don't think about it too much, Keith. You were overall fine, more talkative than usual, I guess. But that wasn't bad, in fact I had a good time talking to you," he said kindly, glancing at the prince's eyes again.

Keith bit his lip while Lance talked. He'd expected most of that. Drunk Keith liked telling the truth. And he really did like Lance, liked him so much. Getting close wasn't too bad either, Lance didn't seem to mind. 

It were the things Lance brushed over that worried him a little. What had he said, exactly? Well, it wasn't worrying Lance, so it couldn't be that important. And Lance apparently liked it when he talked a lot. Good. 

"I like talking to you too. A lot. But.. You would tell me if I did anything you don't like, right? I don't wanna mess this up, no matter how long it will exist, no matter what it is. I care about you too much to mess it up." He looked back at Lance and nearly walked Kosmo into a tree, as the bright blue distracted him once again.

"So, what are you gonna do when we get back? I assume you'll visit your family first thing. Are you.." He hesitated. These things were really personal. But he also wanted to show Lance he cared. "How do you think your mother is? I.. I still feel sorry about running away the first time you told me about her. I shouldn't have, it was really childish. I.. I wish there was something I could do to help you." 

He gave him a careful, and hopefully encouraging smile, and waited for Lance to speak. Last thing he'd heard was Lance's mother being really sick, and then about that healing flower, that he'd bought with the stolen gold. "Did it work? The Tempus Mira- Miri... Whatever its called?"

Would he tell him if he did anything he didn't like? Definitely. Communication was key in... Whatever him and the prince had. Regardless the hunter wanted it to last as long as it could, as well. Though he doubted Keith would be the one to ruin it, he himself always ended up fucking things up somehow. He was okay with Keith's actions, as long as he was honest with him. 

But then Keith brought up the one thing that could make him crumble completely in less than a blink. Despite his mother being relatively healthy right now - or that's what he wanted to think -, the first image that came to his mind at her mention was the painful, daily sight of an emotionless woman, slowly losing her light. Whenever that happened his heart stopped and his expression changed, as if he hadn't lived with that most of his life. 

But he knew Keith ment no harm, in fact he probably meant the opposite, so he swallowed hard and stared at his horse once again. He didn't like talking about it.

"Miracle." Accurate name. "It did work. I don't know how fast the effects acted since I was, well, riding with you that day. But when I came home... she was fine. Totally fine. She was happy and bright and instantly walked, she walked to hug me..." He spoke with surprise yet with a warm heart, smiling to himself at the emotional memory. 

"It'd been so long since I saw her like that, I... I was indescribably happy. My entire family gathered after years of being apart." He gently took strands of Kalt's hair to braid her and keep his hands busy. "You see... When the incident happened, my father... He took it very hard, and my siblings as well. Everyone started blaming each other. My brother Marco left, and Veronica became rather serious. I guess it kind of fractured my family," he muttered. 

"So I... I really hope she's still okay. For everyone else." He took a deep breath and blinked several times, feeling his eyes getting teary again, before looking at Keith again with a small smile. "And it's alright. I guessed you had your reasons. I shouldn't have triggered any umpleasant feeling by getting too personal." He avoided directly mentioning the death of the queen, not wanting to trigger it again.

Keith slowly shook his head. "No, it wasn't your fault. I just.. Family is hard for me." He looked down at his horse's neck, grimacing painfully. "For you too, I guess. I don't want to pressure you or anything. I wish..." 

He sighed. There was probably nothing he could do for that woman. He could give them money, of course, but that wouldn't cure her. If her last hope had been something called a 'Temporary Miracle,' there was nothing else that could save her. Besides, he couldn't just give anyone money without his father knowing about it, and the king definitely wouldn't approve. 

"It definitely wasn't your fault, since I asked you about it. I just.. Hearing about your mother.. It.." Keith's voice trailed away for a minute, not sure whether he should tell Lance this. But why not? He'd told him so much already, and it'd be good to get off his chest. 

"It made me think of my own mother. I never really knew her. She died when I was born. I.." It got more and more difficult to get the words out. "I killed her," he croaked, his throat obstructed and soft tears in his eyes.

With wide eyes full of disbelief, Lance turned almost immediatly to face the prince. Everyone knew about the incident that took place nineteen years ago, the fatidic night a great queen left this world, and how. So how could he possibly think that? He could barely believe it. 

"Keith... You did not. It wasn't your fault." But of couse the prince wouldn't believe him so easily. He stopped braiding his horse's mane for a moment, choosing his words wisely before opening his mouth again. 

"You know? My mother always told me... That when two people love each other very much, they sometimes decided to confine their love and create something new out of it. A living being out of their feelings," he spoke calmly, staring at some place In the forest as they rode. 

"It was choice of the king and the queen to confine their love and only their choice, no matter what future held for them, your mother wanted you, Keith." He looked at the prince this time, still with a soothing gaze. "Not anyone's baby, she wanted you, and she already loved you before you were born, because you were product of something great, something beautiful." He smiled softly. 

"What happened after was no one's fault. Sometimes life... stores other plans for us. It was an accident, an unfortunate accident, but it certainly had nothing to do with you, Keith. Because she wanted you, she wanted you to live and explore this world and experience feelings."

Keith stayed quiet for a moment, while Lance talked, tears forcing their way out of his eyes, over his cheeks. Lance was.. There was something in his voice, in his explanation that made Keith so desperately eager to believe him. 

But it would be wrong, right? To shift all the blame from himself just because Lance wanted to? How could he doubt who was to blame when everyone else knew what he'd done? His father knew it, and so did Lotor and nearly everyone in the Castle. They all blamed him for killing the queen. 

Why would Lance defend him? The way he talked, it made sense. Keith hadn't had any choice in being born, he hadn't even been fully conscious when his mother had died. He was just a baby. Keith quickly wiped his tears away with his sleeve, and looked back at Lance. 

"I... Thank you, for saying that." Then he looked straight ahead again. Lance felt like some sort of feverish dream, like he would disappear as soon as Keith closed his eyes. He was absolutely perfect, from his body to his face to his many talents, and mostly his sweet soul, and gigantic heart. There was no one else like Lance, and somehow the hunter had chosen to love hím. Why? 

"I wish she was still here," he whispered. "She might have.. might have helped me." What was he complaining about? He had Shiro to support him. And sure, the Queen would have been able to stop the pain, stop the wedding even, but who says she'd be on Keith's side? Keith didn't even know her. She might have been as emotionless as his father. 

Had they truly loved each other? Or was it all just a lie? The man his father was now.. He didn't seem capable of love. But then again, Keith hadn't thought himself capable of love either, and here he was, being head over heels in love with Lance. It didn't matter. His mother was gone, no matter who killed her, and he couldn't bring her back.

Lance saw tear to tear falling from those gorgeous violet eyes with pain in his own, getting closer to him as much and walking the horses side to side to reach for his hand. "...My mom also said that there's good in everyone, that love is like a flower, that it can last as long as you water it and take care of it," he said softly, caressing his hand with his thumb. 

"I never knew them... But the kingdom has always said that the king and the queen loved very much, but perhaps not in the best way. They say the king gave all of him to the queen, and when she left... All of him died along." He took a deep breath, carefully choosing his words. 

"If he treats you like that, it's because he can't see beyond the queen. He's stuck in a past memory and doesn't allow himself to move on. So whatever happens, whatever he says, whatever anyone says... Just know you're not guilty for it." 

He let go of his hand for a moment to reach and wipe what he could reach from his tears, slow and gently, before taking his hand again. "And I know... I know it's not the same, but I understand how you feel. But if there's any way for her to be here, it's as a part of you... Perhaps people will see that one day."

A watery smile broke over Keith's face. Lance always knew just what to say what to do to make him feel better. Maybe it was the fact that Keith was in love with him, or maybe the boy made everyone feel this way. Keith couldn't imagine anyone nót being in love with him, the way he looked and talked and laughed and moved... Everything was perfect. 

"I'm sorry, by the way. For the way I treated you when we first met. I was.." He chuckled, trying to steer away from those hard subjects and lighten the conversation. He didn't want to spoil his time with Lance by just crying all the time. 

"I was a real spoiled asshole, and I knew it. I'm not really sure why I acted so stupidly, to be honest. It's just.. It's what I do when I'm nervous." He wiped away the last of his tears and smiled at Lance. "And you made me nervous. Even besides the fact that I suspected you to be the thief. You are just so... so gorgeous. And I wasn't sure how to handle that. I just.." He sighed and started combing his fingers through Kosmo's manes gently. 

"What did you think of me at that moment? I assume you thought I was the biggest ass you'd ever met. And when did that change, if it did at all?"

After chuckling along and allowing a soft shade of red invade his cheeks, Lance's mind travelled to the first days of them meeting. What did he think? Certainly not the prettiest things, but because he couldn't just let himself be ordered around like a dog. He was too proud to allow that, and that had always gotten him in trouble. At least at work, Shiro was there to cover his back. 

"It has changed. Big time," he assured him, letting go of his hand to keep braiding the horse. "But I've met bigger asses, trust me," he joked with a laugh. "Hm... At first, like, the first time I saw you... I truly thought you were an angel," he confessed, remembering how the light made the little prince's pale skin shine like a thousand suns. 

"Then when I started working in the castle I did thought of you as a spoiled prince kind of guy... Since I always saw how the maids and servants pampered you all day, how you always wore the richest jewels without looking down... I also didn't like how everyone was scared of screwing up in front of you, like they genuinely feared you. 

And when I met you? I was so confused, because you were either too rude or cold, but at moments you were vulnerable, with actual feelings. So despite not liking at all how you treated me, I guess... I saw through you, and found a real person. A normal boy with a big weight over his shoulders. A human, just like the rest of us," he said with a smile. 

"So I knew beneath all those layers of a jerky prince rested a sweet boy, the real you. I don't know when... But when I realized you were a flower too, just hadn't had the best treatment, I wanted to be the one to make you bloom... into the beautiful flower you are," he murmured warm heartedly, cheeks slightly cherry red, not breaking eye contact with the prince. "So I forgive you."

Keith's expression changed throughout the boy's speech. At first, a soft smile accompanied the rising blush on his cheeks. Lance had called him an angel. Well, twelve year old him. But then his face fell. The hunter's opinion of him mattered so much, more than it should. Way more. Even though he hadn't known the boy then, it hurt to hear the way Lance talked of him. Was he truly that awful? 

But then Lance continued. And the soft blush on his face increased exponentially, until he was bright red all over. Lance called him a flower. Lance called him sweet. Lance forgave him. Keith lay his hands on his face to hide and cool the blush, and looked down. 

"I.. Thank you, Lance. That means a lot. And.. You're the first person who doesn't see my vulnerability as a weakness, aside from Shiro maybe. But it's difficult for me to just.. switch, so suddenly. I wanna be better for you. It just.. It will take me a while. Time we maybe don't have." He sighed and looked at Lance.

"It's way too dangerous to continue this after we get back. You don't have the clearance to come near me, and I can't let you get hurt. I know you want to fight, and so do I, but.. But I don't think there's any way to win this." 

They were fighting a lost battle. It wasn't even a battle. It was like they'd been locked in the heavily fortified dungeon of his enemy's castle, and unable to escape in any way. Impossible. He didn't see how Lance could still have hope for them.

"Never say never, first rule of a thief," the hunter replied with smug confidence, raising his chin high. "The treasury was supposed to be unreachable, untouchable, the castle walls unbreakable, but did that stop me?" He allowed the prince two seconds to complain before continuing. 

"Exactly, because I had a strong motivation. I was able to break in despite being dangerous and difficult because I did it for someone. As long as we have each other we'll have a chance." He kept silent for a moment, looking at the trees while analizing the situation. As long as they had each other... 

"Plus... Who says I can't keep being your riding companion? Or stealing you for a while when nobody's looking? I think the blue spark isn't done visiting your tower, either," he said in a suggesting but fake innocent tone, glancing at the prince again with a playful smirk. 

"After all, they can't sue me for wanting to please my prince at all times now, can they?" He let go of the tiny braid he'd made in Kalt's mane to stretch his hands outwards in total self confidence. 

"As long as I don't cross the line, I'm allowed to serve you. And I assure you..." he said in a lower tone, tilting his head as he licked his lips, very, slowly. "Once you try my services, you'll never want anything else."

After that day, Keith's face would never be normal again. His cheeks were redder than he'd ever thought they could be. Lance had just definitely referenced his own skills in the bedroom. 

'Please my Prince'. 'Try my services'. There was no way the boy had meant that as anything less than deeply, intently inappropriate. 

"Y- Yes," Keith stuttered, his eyes wide and fixed on the ground. Had Lance just assumed Keith wanted that too, or did he somehow know? Because God, Keith wanted him badly. The Prince had spent nineteen years without having been touched affectionately, and definitely never in a sexual way. Nineteen was quite old to still be a virgin. 

His first time was supposed to be with his partner in marriage, which would soon be Lotor. But Keith didn't want it to be. He didn't want to sleep with Lotor at all. 

And Lance was probably right. He already didn't want anything else, didn't want anyone but Lance to touch him. Mostly because it would hurt, but also because Lance was the only one he loved, would ever love. 

"I would.. I would like it if you visited me," Keith breathed. It was selfish, he knew that. He was risking Lance's life just so he could feel good, get laid. But this was what Lance wanted too, right? 

"As long as you are extremely careful. And you can't stay for too long at a time. My door doesn't lock. Most people have to knock to come in, but not my father, and not Shiro. It would be weird if I suddenly asked him to." 

Shit, was he taking this too seriously? What if Lance was kidding? He was already planning their romantic nights together, and Lance was gonna think he was weird." I.. I mean.. Just to hang out. Maybe." His breath quickened and he looked sideways to Lance.

The brunette was having a hard time keeping his laughter to himself. Keith was just too freaking adorable like this, when he showed his eager and starved yet extremely innocent and naive side - which was pretty hot to be honest -. Plus, the prince hadn't lasted three seconds before accepting and inviting him to his room, consenting all the things that could come with that. 

"Not let my guard down and take care, got it. Don't worry so much, my prince. You're only in trouble if you get caught, and I never get caught," he assured him with a wink, repeating his characteristic thief phrase. 

He'd decided his new goal was to make the prince all hot and bothered as much as he could the first time he caught him blushing, since... "Red still looks good on you, by the way." 

He bit his lip with a cheeky gaze. It really did. Very few things were better than watching the carmine red spreading across Keith's snow white, soft, perfect skin, and his flustered expression? Priceless. He wanted to see that, provoke that, forever and always. 

Aiming to test how far he could go, he decided to open his mouth yet once more. "Good thing your tower is the tallest of all, right? That way I'll have your delighting sounds all for myself." He grinned mischievously, his heart racing at the thought.

Keith choked. He'd never expected such words, such ideas to come out of that boy's head. He'd seemed so sweet and innocent before. But that thought, Lance making him moan and scream his name up in the highest tower, it snuck into his mind and got settled nicely, not planning to move anytime soon. It would haunt him for days, until he forgot. Or until it actually happened. Oh god. 

Keith coughed into his hand, tears in his eyes and looked at Lance in shock, before quickly gazing down again. His cheeks were now nearly the same colour as the banners of his kingdom. His mouth was slightly open as he attempted to get his mind straight again. 

"I.. You-" He coughed again, finally managing to focus his eyes on the path ahead. "You're seriously.. I.. That sounds.." Even a single sentence was too much to ask for. He sputtered for a while to the cold air, and then looked nervously at Lance again. 

"We should probably go on a date first, right? I really don't know how this whole relationship thing works. You'll need to help me a little. All I know is that I want to be with you, and that everything you say is just.." Keith bit his lip. "-incredibly hot."

"You're incredibly hot," Lance let out without thinking, his own blush and racing heart not allowing him to act properly. The prince's reaction was more than satisfactory, but a greedy hunter like him wouldn't stop just there. He wanted him, all of him, entirely. But Keith was right. 

"We will go on a date first, leave that to me. Just relax and enjoy the ride." He giggled slightly, feeling his heart beating with force. He was quite the loverboy, and not to throw himself roses, but in his time he'd had ladies showering him with kisses - even though that had never made him feel complete, unlike Keith did -. Until one day that stopped. He'd had enough people faking feelings for him to either get him to bed or something else. But Keith wouldn't do that.

Still, he was having quite some trouble letting his heart belong to him completely. Love was a big word, and an even bigger feeling. It scared him.

He'd trailed away for a moment without noticing. As soon as he realized It he looked at Keith again and tried to return to the subject. "So... This is finally official? Us? Since you used the term 'relationship'," he asked, smiling at him softly.

Keith's eyes widened a little at the word 'official', but he had no way to argue against it. Lance was right. Besides, it didn't matter what they called it. All Keith knew was that he wanted to be with Lance, in as many ways as possible and more. 

"Uhm, yes. I guess. If you want to, that is. And I'm not sure how 'official' we can be. We can't openly be together, we can't marry. We can't kiss or hold hands or even touch in public. Our relationship will consist of secrecy. And I will cherish every moment together, but are you sure it's enough for you? You could get anyone you want, you could... You could be truly intimate with any girl. Are you sure you want me? I'm not exactly the most available person around." 

He chuckled softly, though he was terrified he would change his mind. He was afraid Lance would realise these sneaky nights they were planning weren't enough for him, that he wanted to marry. And he couldn't give the hunter that. 

He had at least managed to calm down his blush with those worries for a moment. He reached next to him without looking and found Lance's hand, grabbing it loosely. "But it would be amazing to call you my boyfriend," he said, smiling nervously.

His boyfriend. The prince's boyfriend. Keith's boyfriend... Him? Lance felt his heart melting completely inside, reflecting on the outside in his reddish face and stunned expression. He seriously thought he could die of a heart attack at this point, and Keith didn't even need to try that hard. He was already at his feet. 

"...Yeah... It- It would." He murmured almost in a whisper with a warm, fond smile, rubbing the back of his neck to try to go back to normal. "I'd love to," he cooed with genuine happiness, unlike any he'd experienced before, and that knowing everything their - now relationship would imply. 

He looked at a white butterfly flying near them while analizing what Keith had said, though he already knew his own answer. 

"I'm sure." He looked back at Keith decisively. "For me, it will be official as long as you see it that way. I don't need anyone else's opinion nor approval, only yours. And I will cherish every second with you, anything I can get... Despite I want all of you in every way, Keith, I will be satisfied by having your heart." He squeezed his hand softly, giving him an affectionate smile. 

"That will be enough." Because Lotor could have his hand in marriage, his surname or the public opinion, but he could never have his feelings. That... "That already makes me the richest man in the world," he cooed. 

"And leave the girls. I've had enough of them," he chuckled, trying to brush that certain topic aside to avoid revealing his past experiences. "I don't want anyone else, just you."

Everytime, every single time Keith thought the other boy couldn't get any more perfect, Lance proved him wrong. The perfect words flowing from his perfect lips were exactly the ones Keith needed to hear, wanted to hear. His smile widened and he squeezed Lance's hand gently. 

The fact that Lance had obviously been with many girls, and maybe even some boys, scared Keith, but excited him at the same time. He hated the thought of someone else's hands on that beautiful, tan skin, hated that Lance had enjoyed it and feared Keith would disappoint him. 

But he would at least know what to do. He would know exactly what felt right, how to move, what to say. He could teach the young Prince. That thought.. It was enough to darken his blush again. And when Lance said he just wanted hím, Keith of all people.. That was an incredible feeling. 

"I just want you too," he breathed. "You have my heart, and nothing you could do would change that. No matter how hard this is gonna be, no matter what goes wrong, I'm glad I met you, Lance McClain." He lifted Lance's hand up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. 

"As long as you are careful, and listen to me, this will be alright. You wíll listen to me, right? If I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to leave me, you will, right?" Lance seemed like the type to protect Keith heroically for no reason, when Keith was perfectly capable of handling himself. And if anyone saw them caring too much about each other, things would go to hell. And he couldn't let Lance get hurt.

The prince's words inevitably reached the hunter's weak heart, which was previously melting, and now even more at the gentle kiss he'd recieved from his part. His face really couldn't rest, still being red and redder at his soft lips on his skin. 

His own weren't as soft. He had the tendency of peeling them with his teeth over and over when he was anxious, which were many times In his busy life. Afraid of messing up at home, at work, in public. He couldn't even picture how it should be for a public figure like the prince, at least ten times ten worse. 

The sound of his full name coming from Keith's voice still lingered in his mind. It really had power over him, and like everything else Keith said, it sounded way better coming from him. Then... He kept going, and Lance's expression fell slightly at feeling compromised. 

"...I...." He hesitated for a bit. Keith made it sound so tragic when it probably wasn't, or maybe that was his own mind ready to fight for his special someone at all cost. But he guessed he was right. Sometimes. 

"I will, I'll try. But if it's a life or death situation for you, for example and hypothetically speaking, you can't expect me to simply leave you behind and run." In those cases he wouldn't, even if it was a direct order from him as his superior, ruler, his prince. 

"But besides that... I'll do as you say. Whatever it takes to still be with you," he murmured while caressing his hand.

Keith smiled softly. "I doubt anyone in the Castle will try to kill me. You're in more danger than me in there. If anyone catches us, I'll get in a little trouble, but I'll survive. You won't." He sighed. 

"That's why I'm so scared. I don't know what I'd do if they.. If you.." His breath hitched and he shook his head to get rid of the thought. The thought of Lance being let to a platform, his hands and feet chained, waiting to be executed. There was no way Keith would let that happen. He'd rather die than see that.

"I know you wouldn't leave me behind like that, but at least consider your own safety before diving headfirst into the danger." Keith chuckled softly. 

"But anyway, I am wondering what kind of 'date' you'll take me on. I assume it'll be somewhere out of the Castle." He bit his lip and smiled softly, imagining a better night this time. Lance leading him into the forest, that cheeky smile on his face. The night beautifully lit by a thousand stars, but none of them as bright as his hunter's eyes. 

Keith grinned at the ground absentmindedly. He wasn't sure what he was looking forward to more, forest dates or secret, late nights in his room. Both, maybe.

Lance didn't need to look at Keith's expression when talking about the dangers of the castle to imagine it himself; he'd seen and heard about countless, unfair, straight up murders of his people, in more ways than human mind could think of. The king was truly brutal when it came to getting rid of someone's life. 

He hummed In affirmation, saying he would think of himself as well. Or at least he'd try, he tended to focus so much on others that didn't really take care of himself. Right, the dates. Dates in plural since there would be many, his prince deserved the best after all. 

"It will, but I won't spoil anything though." He chuckled. "Just curious, how much of the kingdom have you seen? As in, past the castle. The town, village..." he asked, of course, for scientific purposes, to see how much of his ideas could actually become a reality.

Keith bit his lip. "I have.. I have seen most of the forest, though stayed relatively close to the castle for safety. They won't let me go too far. And town wise, I've only been there on those annual things we do, riding into the main street to look down upon our people." 

Keith sighed. He hated it, even besides all the pressure it put on him. They stayed on their high horses while the people stood for them, waving and throwing flower petals. His father occasionally chatted with the town leader, but it wasn't really much. They pretended to be above those people. It hurt, because he would never treat them like that on his own. Too bad he was never allowed out there on his own. He hated those trips, going into the town. 

One memory stood out clearer than the others, from when he'd been about fifteen. He'd done something stupid, should never have let his father see. He'd stopped his horse, and with it the entire group of riders, to wait for a small child to get out of the way. He couldn't let the boy get run over. But his father had seen, and he'd been furious. 

The first chance he got, he drove Keith into a small stable, pulled his cape off and ripped open the back of his expensive shirt, the horse whip in his other hand. Keith still carried the scars. The way back had been worst of all, his tears held back only by complete and utter fear, while the fancy, thick cloak covered his torn shirt and skin. 

He shivered involuntarily. Stop those memories. Not the time. Don't be weak. He held onto the reigns a little tighter and turned back to Lance with a smile on his face. 

"But aside from that, I haven't really been anywhere, except for castles of other royals. I've been shut up in my own castle all my life."

Lance frowned without meaning to at the sound of that phrase. It was a good way to summarize the prince's life, he supposed, being shut up in himself. It was somewhat ironic too that he owned an entire kingdom but never saw even half of it, that wasn't right. 

"Well, good thing I know my way around the village then!" he tried to cheer him up with a squeeze of his hand, pulling him away of whatever umpleasant memories he was obviously reliving. It was time to make new memories, better ones, together. 

"Trust me, you'll love it. People are generally very nice and there's plenty of things to see, the market sells crazy stuff and the food is delicious, and while we're there perhaps I could show you where I live! ...Although...." the brunette slowed himself down for a moment, realizing he'd momentarily forgotten Keith was a prince. 

"I guess you would need a disguise or a cover, but we could work on that too. Because at night? The whole village comes together to the main square and we have parties and dances, and I'm definitely taking you there." He dedicated him a warm smile, slightly swinging their hands while a soft chirping of the nearby birds provided them a distraction In the rather quiet forest. 

He tried not to stare at the prince longer than he should, but boy if it was difficult to stray from those eyes. They were a peculiar grayish purple tone, and he guessed he'd got them from the queen. Him and the King didn't look at all similar anyway, despite perhaps the sharp but full eyebrows. The rest was such angelic baby face that had Lance completely enchanted, not completely aware of his staring as his cheeks got lit by a gentle red. 

"Have I ever told you you're gorgeous? Because you are," he spoke his mind, because if he thought something and it was good and it could make the other person feel good as well then why would he keep it to himself? 

"You're literally the most handsome guy I've ever crossed my path with."

Keith noticed the other boy staring moments before those words hit his ears. And then he died. Well, not literally, but his body froze and his breath caught in his throat. Lance thought he was pretty? Handsome? Gorgeous? Shit shit shit. Keith's cheeks went back to their nearly constant, bright red shade and he lay a hand on the side of his face. 

"Lance!" he huffed. "You can't just.. say things like that without warning." How could Lance think that of him? Was it a lie? No, Lance didn't lie to him. How could the hunter ever be fooled into believing Keith was pretty? 

Keith was pale and deadly looking, face way too sharp and bony, and his hair a ridiculous mess. Change the subject, Keith. Before you embarrass yourself even more. He took a deep breath and looked around at the forest. What could he talk about? Lance. Lance was pretty. 

"You-" He whipped his head back around to Lance. "You are beautiful. Pretty. Handsome?" What word was he supposed to use? Everything sounded so weird coming from his lips, no matter how true it was. 

"I mean, I think you're really handsome. More than anyone else. Your face, and your eyes, and.." He flushed even redder. "And the rest of you." His last words came out quickly and quietly, already regretting the direction of the conversation. 

"So... What do you like to do besides hunting, Lance?" he asked lamely.

The brunette bit his lip and flushed red as he recieved compliment after compliment, Keith's reaction being too good to actually focus on them though. He let out a soft chuckle and slowly let go of his hand to take the reins and redirect the way Kalt was going, being careful to follow the same path they'd used when coming there. 

"Ok first of all how do you expect me to warn you? 'Hey Keith I'm about to say how pretty you are so prepare'?" He chuckled once more at how innocent he acted, like he was the first person ever to tell him he was beautiful. Which would be weird, because he was and people should remind him all the time. 

What he liked to do, huh? "Well, it's not like I love hunting, as in, it's my job and it's pretty tedious sometimes. Not only I have to spend a ridiculous amount of time in the woods waiting for something to appear when I could be with my family or doing something else, but I have to skin the animals and drag them all the way to the castle so jerks like Prince Lotor dismiss my efforts," he pointed out with a scoff, his eyes fixed on the path. 

"But I do love archery and everything that comes with it. I like playing games in the village and participating in a few contests, spending time with my nephews, pampering Blue..." He hummed thoughtfully. 

"I also like sports and everything that includes being active." Due to always having something to do when he didn't have anything to do he felt rather anxious. "But mostly? I love dancing. I can spend all night every night dancing with the villagers. And I really enjoy singing too, but that's uhm, more personal, I guess," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck like he used to when nervous or embarrassed. 

"I wished I knew how to play any instruments though. What about you?" He asked the prince, turning his face to him.

Keith already missed the sweet warmth of Lance's hand in his own, but didn't make any move to regain it. That would be way too clingy, and Lance would think him desperate. He kind of was. 

The Prince loved hearing Lance talk about anything really, but his passions added a new depth to the silky voice. The dulcit tones swpt his mind away, into the middle of the village square, watching Lance dance joyfully. He looked beautiful, as always. And then he looked up at the real Lance again, and was still astounded by that beauty. Incredible. 

"I play a few instruments. Flute, organ, lyre, lute, harp. Pretty much any string instrument. I never bothered with the bagpipes, though. I don't really like the sound of them." He smiled sweetly at the other boy. 

"I'll play you something one day, and you can dance. If you want to." Oh god, Keith wanted to watch him dance again. The most beautiful thing to ever exist, Lance flowing and spinning on his long, lanky legs, that gorgeous smile on his face. 

"I mean, I'm not that good, but I'd like to see you dance again." His musical skill was one of the many things his father often droned on and on about. As a Prince, you needed to be skilled at everything. And though culture and art weren't the things most important to his father, he loved to remind Keith of his impotence. 

The young Prince was... adequate, at most of the things he played. But to remember those long, repetitive pieces, that was another thing. Everytime he hit the wrong note, he could feel his father's scalding glare in his back. No mistakes. No failure. 

Keith fell silent for a while, totally lost in memory. His eyes glanced over as he relived those long nights, playing the same part over and over, desperate to get it right, terrified of what would happen if he didn't.

Lance listened to his... -His boyfriend? His boyfriend!- in pure admiration. He knew royalty was taught billions of things when infants and playing instruments was probably part of that, but still, hearing Keith talk about it made him sound truly talented, gifted, even, and when he said he'd play for him one day? His heart melted at the thought.

Lance hadn't been gifted many things from his previous partners, and if he had, they were never given with the greatest intentions or effort was never placed in them. But a song? A song. How utterly charming. His heart was beating faster with emotion already. 

But then Keith trailed away, and Lance could instantly guess what could be cursing through his mind. How on earth did the king destroy and corrupt everything he touched? 

"Keith?" he called him softly to get his attention again. "...You sound truly talented, and I'd love to hear you play... As long as it's your own music," he stated. "Something that directly comes from you, your feelings... Something you're proud of and happy to play. How does that sound?" 

A tree suddenly got between them, making Lance lose sight of his prince momentarily until they were next to each other again. He didn't like that, things literally getting between them. So he reached to take Keith's hand on his once more with a warm smile. 

"Hold my hand so we don't lose each other, alright?"

Keith's breath hitched as the distance between them grew, but then they came closer again, and he grabbed Lance's hand like it was the only thing tying him to this feeble existence. Lance's soft skin sent warm shivers up his arm, straight to his chest. Yeah, that was better. 

He thought about what Lance had said for a moment. Something that came from his feelings? Something he was happy to play? He'd have to take a while to find out if there was anything like that, but he could not, would not disappoint his new boyfriend. Boyfriend. His Lance. Oh god yes. 

"Yes," he breathed. "Thank you." He gave Lance's hand a soft squeeze but didn't dare to meet his eyes. Calm down first, Keith. Don't get hysterical. And don't think about anything but Lance right now. Perfect, beautiful, amazingly sweet Lance. He would do anything for that boy, anything at all. And he was gonna. He was gonna protect Lance with everything he had and more. Just to keep him safe. 

He gently tugged Lance closer and lay their intertwined hands on his thigh, just above his knee. "I like holding your hand," he breathed. "I like it a lot. It feels like.. like sunshine." He looked up at Lance and got momentarily lost in those beautiful eyes before a soft smile spread over his pink lips.

The tan boy couldn't help the smile on his face, knowing exactly how the prince felt because he felt the exact same thing. But not only his touch, but his thoughts and words, everything... Him, Keith. Keith felt like sunshine itself. 

"How curious... It feels like I was one small fish of many In the endless sea, and you were the moon pulling me to you, towards tides and currents, making everything brighter, giving everything a meaning. But at the same time, you're my sunshine," he cooed, the sound of those words taking his mind far away from there, far from the horses and the forest. 

In his memory he cried to sleep, until his mother came to him and held him in her arms, finally lulling him to sleep with her charming voice. He absentmentally smiled at the memory, closing his eyes to be as close to the memory as he could, took a deep breath, and parted his lips; 

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy, when sky's are gray~" he sang, dedicating the boy next to him each and every word with closed eyes, a joyful expression and a gentle chant, calm and smooth like tranquil waves. 

"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away." He flickered his gaze to Keith, trying to keep his heart still. Very few times he'd sang for anyone that wasn't his family, but he didn't want nerves taking over him now, on this apparently perfect moment.


	23. Oh My Sweet, Innocent Boy

Keith had thought Lance's normal voice was beautiful. But this, the way that sound reverberated through the air, it was like magic. Smoother than silk. Sweeter than honey. 

It was a song Keith had never heard before, though that didn't surprise him. Keith knew very little 'normal' songs. 

He looked at the hunter with wide eyes when he started, but they had closed halfway by the last word, as if Lance was singing him slowly to sleep. A gentle smile curved his lips, and he'd never felt more in love than at that exact moment. And the Prince knew he wanted Lance to sing to him every day for the rest of their lives. 

Keith couldn't speak for a few moments after, his voice obstructed by emotion and gratefulness. Lance had sung for him. For him! And then he grasped Lance's hand tighter and his smile widened. 

"You have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. It's.. My god, Lance." It was difficult, way too difficult to find the right words for what he'd just witnessed. The feeling in his stomach and chest was something indescribable. Magic. That's what Lance made him feel. He swallowed deeply and just nodded happily, feeling tears in his eyes. 

"You are amazing, my love. In every aspect. Thank you." Keith was scared to mess this up, to say the wrong thing. But his fear was slowly, steadily being replaced this all consuming love.

At first the prince's silence started to worry him, making him wonder if he should've kept quiet and question himself in more than one way. But Keith's expression and touch told him otherwise, and as he spoke not only he felt his tension wash away from his shoulders but his heart flutter with dozens of butterflies, his smile widening along. 

He hadn't particulary sang in seek of praising but to share with Keith his sentiment of joy, so recieving such comments regarding his singing skills got Lance very, very flustered. Then, Keith called him a new nickname, one he'd unconciously longed to recieve but also tried to avoid. He used the word love. Love. 

Did he mean it that way or used it as any other affectionate nickname? It felt pretty unlikely for someone to have that feeling for him. The biggest and strongest feeling of all. Too big for him, who'd so badly sought love in countless of people and places. But he never found it. Could he.. Could he actually find it in Keith?

He pushed his doubts to the back of his mind. Now was not the time, not when Keith was smiling to him that way. 

"You don't have to thank me... I just," he sighed slowly. "It's a song... My mother sang to me when I was little. I was afraid of thunder, you know?" He chuckled to himself. "So she'd always come and sing me to sleep. I don't know why... But a part of me wanted to share it with you." He looked at him with a warm smile, focusing on the warmth of their hands together. 

"Thank you, by the way. I... I like that." He averted his gaze, rubbing his neck with his free hand afterwards. "The nickname..."

Keith didn't understand at first. What nickname? What.. And then his eyes widened. He'd called Lance something, something unexpected, when he hadn't meant to. Well, maybe he'd meant to, but he hadn't done it on purpose. He'd called him my love. Shit. 

He shouldn't have said that. It wasn't time yet to speak of Love. But.. Lance liked it. That realisation sent a warm glow through his body. Lance liked being his love. Because he did love Lance, he loved him more than anything he'd loved before. But he should probably calm it down a little. Don't scare him away now, idiot. 

"Oh," he said lamely. "Okay. Good. I like it too. I.. What.." He bit his lip. "Is there anything else you don't mind me calling you? Don't get me wrong, I love your name. Lance." A smile broke over his face. 

"But I'd like to.. I'd like to call you stuff like that more. Love. Sweetie. Baby?" He blushed and looked back down. It was one of the things he'd envied most about Shiro's relationship with Adam. Them calling each other pet names. It had been something Keith wanted to do himself ever since. To be so fond of someone that a simple name couldn't contain your love.

"If you don't want that, that's completely okay too. I just.." Keith held his breath and shrugged, trying to say it wouldn't matter much. But the soft hope wasn't hidden on his face.

The blush that spread over the hunter's face at all those names was inevitable, but his eyes didn't drift away from Keith at any second. He lowkey loved how plenty of reactions could cross over that gorgeous face in matter of seconds, and the prince didn't really need to say anything to make him understand what he was thinking, what he was feeling. As soon as he finished talking he gave his hand a soft squeeze. 

"Hm... I love those," he stated with a tiny smile. "And I'd love it... if you used them with me. Anything you want as long as it's not overly mellow, like-" he cut himself off with a held back chuckle. One of his early girlfriends was tediously cheesy, and it left his mind filled with plenty of crystal clear phrases said with her purposely squeaky voice. 

"Snuggle bunny or tootsie wootsie." He took a hand to his face, deeply chuckling at the out loud mention of those words. My god. Nevermore. After he'd got a hold of his laughter he looked at Keith again, still wearing a funny expression on his face. 

"But... Aside from that, anything is very welcome, sweetheart," he cooed sweetly, momentarily leaving his hand to reach to caress his cheek with the back of his fingers. Sweetheart. He'd rarely ever called someone that, and it was the first time it felt okay to say it. Because this time just baby or honey didn't feel enough to express how he felt.

Keith bit his lip to not burst out laughing. Oh god. He raised Lance's hand to his lips, still keeping eye contact, and pressed a soft kiss to it. 

"Are you sure, snuggle bunny? I'm sure I can come up with some things you like.." His voice lowered to a seductive tone. He had plenty of things he could call Lance, and none of them were suited for children's ears. 

That thought made him blush, and then he realised Lance had called him sweetheart. Oh god. He wasn't gonna survive this. Everytime Lance did even the smallest thing, like say his name or insinuate something inappropriate or even smile, his face flared bright red. What would he do if Lance kissed him again, or started dirty talking, or touch him... He would die on the spot. That was obviously Lance's intention, the way he was looking right now. 

He looked to the other side, still holding the warm hand tightly in his own, his cheeks a pale pink. It was embarrassing, the way Lance made him feel, made him act. And Keith didn't mind one bit, as long as they were still out here. 

It would become a problem once they were back, though. He just had to avoid Lance in public. And then when they were alone, Lance could make him flustered all he liked. Yes. Keith smiled to himself and squeezed Lance's hand.

Lance nearly gasped in indignation at that horrible, absolutely awful nickname, feeling terribly betrayed.

Except he wasn't.

Because for some stupid reason everything, including those atrocious words, sounded good coming from Keith's lips, apparently. Specially if they were directed to him. It even sounded... kinda cute? Keith's lips... Mm.

Lance you helpless loverboy, do something, state your ground, tell him not to call you that. 

"..." 

But no words came out of his mouth in his flustered state, because Keith had obviously meant something dirty with his following sentence and that freaking... seductive tone. It pulled him to the night before, where Keith jumped onto his lap and unconciously tried to seduce him between serious revelations and drunk talk. 

It was suddenly starting to feel hot in that forest. Geez. He stared at the neck of his horse while wildly blushing, unable to say anything else. It was too late to make a comback anyway.

Keith may had won this battle, but Lance would win the war. It was just a matter of time.

When Lance didn't say anything, the Prince turned his head. The sight that greeted him was unlike he'd ever imagined. Lance was blushing. The light flush made Keith redden even more. He'd made Lance flustered. Hé. 

"I'm sorry," he breathed quickly. "I.." What was he even sorry for? Not for making Lance look like that, definitely. Making him uncomfortable, maybe? Lance did this to him constantly, and now he was doing it back. It felt weird. Good, definitely. But unfamiliar. 

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, baby," he whispered, the same suggestive tone apparent in his voice. "What could I do to make it up to you?" He looked up at the other boy from under his lashes and licked his lips. The high, noon sun glistened on them. 

"I'll do anything for you, you know that." God, he longed to kiss Lance again. He wanted to do so much more with him. But it wouldn't be smart to do anything out here in the forest. And once he was home, it would be hard to find time alone. But God, he wanted to so badly. All he could do now was think about it, and tease Lance a little. Yeah, that was fun.

The moment the low hot tone hit his ears, Lance wanted to melt completely. He felt his cheeks burning, his heart had started to race as well and god if he was fighting against his own person to avoid his body temperature spread between his legs, because hell if he wanted to jump off of his horse and pin the prince against a tree and just wreck him completely. 

He wasn't sure he'd ever desired anyone with such force before. Despite having gotten laid countless of times in dozen different ways, just imagining it with Keith already was something else, something special. Keith was special, and unexperienced. Him being the first person to discover every single inch around his naked body was--

He doubted he could wait until their first formal date.

He caught his breath, still blushing as before but with not quite the same expression. His eyes fixed on Keith's pink, wet lips, which were slowly driving him mad with desire, then he looked at him again. Little devil. He could see the amusement in his violet eyes, yet his previous command still lingered in Lance's mind. 

"Don't heat up what you won't eat, my prince," he warned him, slowly tracing his hand up Keith's upper leg until it was brushing his inner thigh. "Two can play that game." 

He then retired his hand completely, firmly grasping the reins of his horse and turning his head to the forest in front of them, the playful grin he'd been trying to avoid now spreading across his lips.

Keith hadn't noticed he was holding his breath until he let it out in a little huff of indignation and disappointment. Lance was truly evil. That gentle touch had sent shivers through his body, from the intimate place Lance's fingers brushed to even more intimate places. 

He, unlike Lance, couldn't control what happened to his body. He'd never had to learn how to, because he'd never been this turned on. Something twitched in between his legs and his blush brightened. But he wasn't gonna say anything about it. Nope, not gonna give him the satisfaction of knowing what he was doing to the poor, poor Prince. 

He positioned his hands in a way to hide the small bump in his pants, and looked ahead as well. His arousal wasn't even that obvious. That was, until he started speaking again. 

"So," he said, his voice three pitches higher than usual, until he cleared his throat. It didn't help that much. "I suppose we'll ride till it's dark again. What do you wanna do then? Should we set up the tent?" Keith considered adding an inappropriate comment, but held it down at the last moment. No matter how much he wanted to win this, whatever it was, this wasn't the time to think about sex. Definitely not. Get any harder and Lance would see.

What he wanted to do? At night? Lance wasn't sure if Keith meant it in thát way or not anymore, and he almost wanted to laugh because god what he didn't want to do. A faint memory of him being slightly high told him he'd seen Keith's naked body once, but it was blurry and it had been a quick glance anyway. There wasn't anything he desired more right now than discovering how it looked. 

He wasn't looking at the prince, but his pitchy voice already told him enough; he was more than flustered. Turned on, even. He knew he should stop triggering these reactions on him, but he didn't want to stop. It was too good. Plus, it lowkey fed his confidence regarding his loverboy skills. 

"Mm... I saw a place on our way here that looked sheltered, I think we could spend the night there," he answered casually, taking the chance to gaze at the boy next to him.

And damn the sight that greeted him. Not only Keith looked bright red and extremely flustered, but his body was tense and he looked somewhat uncomfortable. His lips were pursed in a nervous line, and his hands had changed their place. Was he...?   
Lance grinned even wider. 

"Of course what happens after is up to you, prince charming," he said with underlying suggestiveness, tilting his head to the side. "You know your wish is my command. Are you alright? You seem... hot. Hotter than usual I mean." He bit his lip, sending him a cheeky, playful gaze.

Keith bit down on his tongue, hard. Don't let him see. Don't let him see. But God, the things he wanted Lance to do to him in a sheltered space... 

"I'm fine," he whimpered. "The sun, it's very bright today." That wasn't necessary a lie, the sun was more present than it had been all winter, but still not enough to cause the hot flush on his cheeks. No, that was Lance's doing. 

Was this the night he would lose his virginity? Was Lance gonna show him how to do this stuff? 

Keith was nervous, definitely. But also excited. He knew Lance would never do something he didn't want him to. Lancd would be sweet and understanding and hot and incredibly sexy and- Oh god. This wasn't doing anything to calm down the situation in his pants. 

It wasn't really visible yet, stuck between the saddle, his tight pants and his own body. But God, did he feel it. Lance could play him like a fiddle, knew exactly what to do to get the Prince all hot and bothered. And how Keith loved that. 

But wasn't this doing anything for Lance? Keith was nearly bursting, and Lance seemed smooth and cool like always. Stupid ass. 

"Are you not... hot?" he asked carefully. Lance would understand he didn't actually mean warm. The look that hunter was giving him told Keith he knew exactly what he was doing, what he was doing to Keith's body. He was on fire, burning with passion and desire to just let that boy touch him right here, in the middle of the road. His half boner twitched again at that thought. Don't think about that right now.

The hunter contained his laugh when Keith made up an excuse. Pretty convincing, if he wasn't as observer and didn't have eyes as sharp as Blue's herself. He had him all figured out already, since whenever their mutual bond had started to grow. 

Keith's question surprised him. He'd literally admitted he'd gotten turned on by his brief touch. What would he trigger then, if he touched him all over? 

"Me? Kind of." He let out a slow breath, still tightly holding the reins and momentarily shifting his gaze from the prince to the path. 

"I'm trying to stay in the shade though. We still have time until the sun starts to set, and I don't think I'd be able to handle the heat for so long," he stated. Riding with a boner wouldn't only be extremely uncomfortable, but would eventually start to hurt, and he'd rather hold his horse (ha) as long as he could. 

He liked being in control of everything he could reach, from his own body to the prince's reactions, and he'd had a long time to figure out how to hold back and suppress his urges. Not only that, but... 

"It takes a little more... contact, to get me hot," he murmured suggestively, already walking Kaltenecker slightly far from Kosmo so Keith wouldn't try anything. "But trust me? It is being harder than usual to fight this sun." No need to specify more, Keith knew he was his sun.

Lance was probably right. It was stupid to get all turned on now, while they still had hours of riding ahead of them, in which they couldn't touch at all. Shit. It was too late for that now. All Lance's fault. If he hadn't been so goddamn seductive, Keith wouldn't have had to deal with this uncomfortable feeling right now. 

"Well, I would have tried to find the shade-" he continued the metaphor, "-but that stupid sun has been chasing me all day, teasing me and getting me way too hot. If it continues like this, I might get... burned. You don't want me to be in pain, do you?" 

Lance just needed to lay off for a couple more hours, and then Keith would let him do anything. Anything at all. Just go away, stupid dick. Not the time. What if Lance thought him a disgusting little pervert? He was getting hard from just listening to that boy. That was definitely creepy. 

But then again, it wasn't Keith's fault that he'd never been seduced like this. People had tried, of course, he was the Prince. Royals from other countries, servants from his own castle had offered him their... services in exchange for money or power. Keith had never indulged any of them. He didn't want sex with strangers. The only person he'd ever touched was himself, and even that wasn't that often. 

But Lance wasn't a stranger. He was a real, hot, sweet, willing boy, who was currently leading him to a secluded spot. Yes. His grin widened a little and he stared forward over Kosmo's head.

"Maybe it's not the sun that's been following you, but the entire opposite," Lance pointed out with slight laughter, pointing out it was Keith who'd started this just a couple minutes ago. He was pleased by him following the metaphor game until the end and found his words slightly amusing, but he was right in one thing; he didn't want his boyfriend to get hurt for the rest of the day, so before making things any harder (ha), he decided to lay off for a while and ride with him in silence. 

For the rest of the afternoon they talked about common topics and their opinions on life, not getting too personal to avoid coming back to the subject they were avoiding. They stopped for a moment so the hunter could catch and cook them a fish big enough for both of them along fruit and juice, before returning to keep riding until the sun was completely down, covered by a pink, violet and deep blue sky that slowly revealed I\it's stars one by one. 

Lance had been paying attention to their surroundings all the way, until he finally caught it with the corner of his eye. He told Keith to wait still while he hopped off his horse and walked to secure the zone of possible dangerous animals, but there were no traces of nearby activity and the place was mostly hidden. Good. He then took the liberty to set up a few things before walking back to the prince and guiding him to the place.

Through the trees, a peculiar, wide strong one stood, which branches that grew down, full, fluffy, strong and wild branches and leaves filling it all around, creating some sort of cave looking structure. The leaves reached and dragged on the ground, and only one small entrance could be seen, lit up with a faint yellow light coming from the inside. 

Lance helped the prince get off his tall horse, and close to him he murmured: "Close your eyes, and no peeking," before taking his hands and guiding him towards it, bending down with him so they would fit in the narrow opening of the branches and guiding him inside the surprisingly wide cave space underneath. 

Lance glanced at the place one more time, the only part that wasn't surrounded by leaves was the tree's top center, where the stars and the distant moonlight could be seen. But that wasn't what illuminated the place; no other insect seemed to roam around, except plenty of small yellow lights that peacefully hovered and flied around the place, not enough to be overwhelming but enough to lit the scene with a soft tenuous light. Fireflies.

To save the prince some efforts, the hunter had gathered a bunch of full leaves from other trees outside and placed them next to the tree, creating a big, full nest, never comparable to a royal bed, but a surprisingly comfortable matress. With the blankets on top it would be one of the finest nests Lance had ever built, and to no surprise. The prince made him get the best of himself. 

Once he checked everything was according to plan, Lance turned to Keith again, not letting go of his hands. "Okay, you can look now."

Keith giggled and opened his eyes, his mouth falling open. It was more beautiful than he could ever have imagined. The soft light of the fireflies reflected off every single leave, giving them a golden glow, as though it were walls decorated with intricate, floral details. He turned around and saw the nearly full moon through the hole in the ceiling, shining brightly among it's many stars. 

This was perfect for their maybe last night together. No matter what would happen back at the Castle, Keith was happy right now, being here with Lance. 

"It's beautiful," he breathed. "How.. How did you find this?" He let go of Lance's hands and wandered around the place, spinning around to look in every direction, the parting fireflies illuminating his fascinated expression. And then he came full circle and stoppped back in front of Lance. 

And no matter how beautiful this place was, Lance exceeded it by miles. The way the soft, silver light of the distant moon mixed with the hundred of tiny golden glows, reflecting on his gorgeous features took Keith's breath away. It was something out of a fairytale, something that couldn't be real. But then why was Keith looking at it right now? 

His breathing excellerated through his slightly parted lips. Luckily, his situation had calmed down a few hours ago, though it felt like he could heat up again any second. It wasn't warm in this small cave, but his body felt hot with postponed desire. Yeah, he wanted Lance. 

But first, food. A full day in the saddle made your muscles hurt, no matter how experienced a rider you were, and he was starving. 

"Let's go eat," he whispered, as though trying not to defile the sanctity of this place, like it was a temple or church. 

A soft chuckle escaped from Lance's lips. Keith really never stopped amazing him with his genuine feelings and appreciation for true beauty. Not many would see how pretty that place was, and yet the prince's reaction was utterly stunning. 

The prince, who'd seen thousands of places and luxurious castles, travelled to many places, but here he was, finding nature a magical thing. Keith himself was magical, but even more now that his eyes sparkled with thousands of lights. 

He nodded at his request and carefully got out underneath the tree with him, walking to take the saddle off his horse afterwards. 

"I found it the morning I looked for berries for breakfast, though I decided not to say anything since... I wasn't sure you'd find it interesting," he answered his previous question with honesty. At the time he was still trying to figure out what kind of person the prince really was, and they didn't exactly get along either. 

"Though the fireflies were a surprise." It was almost as if the forest had decided to grant them one of it's most treasured secrets, just for the two of them. Lance would never stop owing mother nature. 

Since the sun was warming up more and more the forest, it didn't take them too long to find dry materials to make a campfire. The hunter repeated the process of kindling, tinder, brushwood and firewood to make a decent fire they could sit around for a while. It wouldn't be wise to make it underneath the tree cave, that would be too risky. Luckily, the night didn't feel cold so they wouldn't need it. 

Lance took a larger firewood piece and wrapped a cloth on the top before setting it on fire to have a torch, something to keep him safe this late at night. 

"Just wait here, alright? I'll go find something to eat," he told the prince, but just in case he was planning on going with him, he proceeded to add: "Could you feed the horses in the meantime, please? I won't be long."

Keith hesitated and nearly opened his mouth to argue. He didn't want to leave Lance's side for even a minute, feeling safer and more protected than he'd ever had. But he was being a pussy. He had survived before Lance was there to protect him, and he would survive without him. 

"Alright," he said slowly. "But be quick." A small smirk curved his lips, and he bent forward to whisper in Lance's ear. "I'll be lonely without you." And then his lips connected with Lance's cheek for less than a moment, before backing off completely and giving the boy a wink. 

Kosmo and Kalt were grazing on the dead grass a short distance away, and Keith started lossening their saddles, before taking the small amount of oats left and feeding it to them. They would need more, so he scavenged around the place for a while, coming back with a heap of tall grass and other plants. Yeah, that should do. 

Lance still wasn't back, so he found a dry spot next to the campfire and stared into the flames for a while. What would happen tonight? Was he ready for it? Keith wanted it, definitely, but he got hard at even the smallest touch. Would he survive actually doing it? Would Lance laugh at him when it became apparent the Prince had no idea what to do? 

His knowledge consisted of sticking your dick in someone's underside. Yeah, but how did that work? It definitely felt good to have something in your ass, Keith had found that out by himself, in those lonely nights up in his room. But how did that work? Did it hurt? Probably. 

Were they supposed to kiss, talk, be super serious? What if he did something wrong? It was fun to tease Lance and all, but once it actually got down to it, Keith was nervous. Super nervous. 

He knew the culture and habits of over thirty kingdoms, but no one had ever thought about giving the Prince sexual education. Idiots. At least Lance was there to help him. Hopefully. 

The hunter had walked into the darkness of the woods, still half distracted by the feeling of Keith's lips on his skin and his breath tickling his ear. He already wanted to run back to him and never let him go. Damn what his actions could do to his poor, poor heart. 

He'd been wondering around the place, careful to leave tiny marks on the trees to know his way back as he got startled by the most slightest sound and movement of the leaves. It was no surprise he absolutely despised walking on the woods alone at night. 

It had been a dark night like any, like this one, where he'd been attacked by a pack of wolves when he was a teen. His body shivered at the memory, still fresh and clear as the palm of his hand, but kept going. They needed to eat something. 

He was lucky to find a nest with what looked like duck eggs, determined by their larger size and white color. There were plenty, but when he looked around the mother wasn't there. He kneeled to feel the temperature of the nest, which was still warm, meaning she was near and had probably left to drink water or something else.

He carefully took six eggs, four for now plus two for the morning after, and carefully saved them in his satchel, just in time to back away before being bitten by the duck mother, who'd angrily rushed to him as soon as she noticed his presence. 

He was chased by her for a while until she eventually returned to her nest, and finally walked back to where they had decided to stay the night. Lance wasn't sure if the prince still wanted to go further or not tonight, but as long as he could have him in his arms by the end of the day, he didn't mind. 

He soon found the fireplace again, and slowly breathed again at the safety of being with his prince again. 

"Hey baby," he greeted him, bending down to place a kiss on his forehead before walking to the bags. "Hope I didn't take too long." He grabbed the tiny stewpot he'd used to cook the rabbit and filled it with water, carefully placed the four eggs and placed it in the fireplace to let it boil before sitting to Keith's side. 

"...Is something on your mind? You look... nervous," he pointed out with a concerned look. "Whatever it is, you know you can tell me."

A smile curved Keith's lips as, for a moment, they seemed like a normal couple, just camping in the forest together. 

But then he froze at Lance's question. What was he supposed to say? 'I want you to fuck me but I don't know how'? Yeah, let's not do that. Just keep it casual, Keith. 

"I am a bit nervous, I suppose. I.. I told you how I don't know how to do the things that normal people do in a relationship, because I've never had one. Any kind of relationship. But.." He bit his lip. 

"I want to.. I.." Shit. This was even more difficult than he'd expected, the familiar blush already rising to his cheeks again. 

"I want to be... intimate, with you. And I don't know how to do that. You could probably tell I had no idea how to kiss, I still don't. And I just.. I really don't want to disappoint you." He looked up at Lance, his arms around his own stomach as if protecting himself, and an innocent look in his eyes. 

Yeah, that had gone horrible. Lance was probably calling him a stupid toddler in his head. He didn't want to sleep with a toddler. Lance needed someone who knew what they were doing, who knew what felt good and who knew how to turn this boy on. Keith didn't know any of those things. 

The eggs gave soft noises of being cooked, and Keith's eyes fluttered into the fire, which made them burn a little. His cheeks were red again. Maybe he shouldn't have admitted that he wanted sex with Lance. Yeah, he was way too open. 

What if Lance had been joking this afternoon? Was he just playing him? Shit shit shit. Keith seemed to shrink in his spot, his arms wrapped tightly around himself and his head turned down in shame.

To be honest, the back of Lance's mind had kind of expected his nervousness to be due to him not having experience, but he did not know Keith felt so self conscious about it, which made him think he should've payed more attention to this sooner. Then Keith shrunk as if he wanted to be swallowed by the earth, and his heart ached. 

"Hey, Keith, it's alright..." He tried to approach him carefully, placing one hand on his arm as the other went to gently caress his head. But Keith seemed reluctant to pay attention to his words, being too centered on his own bubble of insecurities to do so, and Lance sighed. Without a word, he got to his side and wrapped an arm around him, bringing him closer to himself. 

"How about I tell you... my first and horrible time. Hm?" He felt himself chuckling at the memory already. This was going to be embarrasing.

"So... It was with a girl I didn't have feelings for, neither did she, and I had zero experience but tried to hide it. So when the time came I failed to make her enjoy it, big time. And she was mad." He traced patterns on Keith's arm while talking calmly, almost amused at his young self. 

"But not cause I was inexperienced, but because I lied to her about it. And after that? She taught me a few things, the rest I picked up with time." He let go of Keith to carefully take the stewpot off and let it cool down a bit, glancing at him afterwards. 

"I'm happy you were honest with me from the start," he said with a smile. "I don't expect you to know how to do things you've never experienced before, Keith, that would be unfair. Therefore there is no way you can disappoint me. And you know what?" He took one of the eggs and started to peel it. 

"I feel... lucky, to be the one that gets to experience your first time with you. And I'm more than glad to teach you, help you, so you don't have to rush things. That's like, the worst thing you can do. Baby steps, alright? We don't have to go far tonight," he reassured him kindly, giving him a quick peck on his head before giving him the boiled egg and starting to peel another.

Keith waited for a while, until his egg had cooled down, while smiling softly at the ground. Lance's talent for knowing just what to say hsd resurfaced again, and calmed both his mind and body. 

Lance was right, as usual. It would be fine. There was no need to rush. Lance would help him. He took a small bite, nearly burned his tongue and looked up at Lance again. 

"Okay," he breathed. "Baby steps. I can handle that." Hearing about Lance's first time did calm him a little, but at the same time made him irrationally angry. Of course Lance had been with other people before, why was that making him feel so weird? 

He ate the rest of their 'dinner' in silence, looking everywhere but Lance, knowing he'd be unable to keep his hands off if he saw that beauty. 

"Alright," he said, when he was finished. "We should probably go to bed, right?" He purposely avoided the word 'sleep'. Keith didn't want to go to sleep yet. He wanted to lay in Lance's arms, to kiss him, to touch him, to do everything else. 

"You ready?" he asked, finally looking up, a cheeky glint in his violet eyes. The flickering fire lit both the whites of his eyes and his wet lips, slightly parted and longing for the other pair. He wanted to kiss again. The Prince just hoped he'd remembered how to.


	24. Finally Some Good Fucking Food

[A/N. This chapter contains a lot of smut, so if you don't like that, just skip it. Also, if I personally know you, please think before you read and mess up your whole image of me. (This is not relevant for Raven's friends since she apparently doesn't care if people know she's a kinky lil shit) Thank you. Hope the rest enjoy.] 

Lance smiled back, almost amused by how quickly the prince had finished his food. Heck, even the way he referred to sex was adorable. 

He finished his food as well and drank gulps of water to get the taste off his mouth before turning to the prince again. 

"I'm ready, eager prince. But you're already rushing it," he said with a faint chuckle, even more at Keith's expression. "First, you don't just, jump straight to that. Same with kisses. First step of kissing; don't." 

He got up and took the blankets from Keith's bags to place them in the leaf bed, his cloak as pillow, before going outside again. He took him by the hand and after he got up they made their way through the tree cave entrance once more. 

The burning light was changed for soft yellow and green tones, a faint blue added from the moon above them. Even then Keith's anxiety was almost touchable in the air, inciting Lance to pull him closer to him with a soft giggle. 

"Loosen up," he murmured softly, raising a hand to gently lift his chin and brush his thumb across his lip, not a single second breaking eye contact and mantaining that same fond look, before leaning and placing the first kiss on his lips. 

It was short and simple, but followed by longer, more worked out kisses time after time, wanting the prince to get used to the feeling and gain confidence before anything else.

Keith tried to keep his breathing steady, completely focusing on the kiss, attempting to be better than last time. It worked somewhat. His and Lance's lips slowly started moving in harmony, and his hands found Lance's chest to lay against. 

He'd known he was way too eager for something like this, but who could blame him? He'd barely touched anyone in the last nineteen years, and he was almost getting married to a complete asshole. The Prince couldn't let Lotor define his pleasure. No. 

Besides, he truly wanted Lance as close as he could get him. Lance was beautiful, inside and out, and Keith wanted the hunter to touch him more, now that it didn't hurt anymore. His mouth slightly open, he took Lance's bottom lip between his own and pulled on it gently, before diving back into the kiss. 

This felt amazing. Lance's lips and tongue and the occasional scrape of teeth were like heaven on his own, and Keith breathed it like air. His hand lowered to the boy's waist as he took a small step closer, still afraid he was doing something wrong. But how could it be wrong when it felt so right? 

Sure, his kissing may be a little off from lack of practice, but it wasn't awful, right? At least, not for him. This was a good first step. Kissing Lance didn't need anything else, it was heaven on it's own. That didn't mean Keith didn't still want to continue. Eventually. Just get used to this first. But how to get used to a feeling so incredibly amazing?

Lance grinned between the kisses, letting the prince adapt to his movements before increasing them, kissing him harder and deeper as his hands trailed down his waist. 

He slowly walked the prince to press his back against the tree, closing what was left of the distance between them to continue the make out session that grew more and more passionate by the minute. He gave attention to both of his lips, played with the rhythm, and when Keith seemed to pick it up he asked for entrance, letting his tongue explore his sweet mouth and dance with his own, setting an easy pace so the prince would be able to follow. 

Feeling himself needing more, the hunter let his hands travel down his waist onto his bottom, squeezing it like he owned it, and when he ran out of air he broke the kiss, but wasted no time to run his lips down his cheek and start nibbling his soft neck skin. 

Keith's scent filled his nostrils, a mixture of vanilla, cinnamon and traces of wildlife due to their stance in the forest. It was absolutely intoxicating, and there was no other scent Lance desired to smell more than Keith's sweet one. 

Between delicate kisses a bite was given, proceeding to suck the zone afterwards as he continued to massage his bottom, their groins pressed together.

There was nothing Keith could do, trapped between Lance and a tree, gasping for air as the hunter's movements sent shivers through his entire body. Oh god. This feeling was overwhelming, all consuming, and all he could do was stand there and enjoy it. 

It was nearly too much, the unfamiliar sensation of lips on his sensitive skin and those cheeky hands squeezing his behind, making soft whimpers and whines escape his throat. This was really happening, Lance was really touching him in this intimate way. 

His arms hang uselessly by his side, unable to do anything at all. And when Lance bit him, he moaned. Shit, that felt good. He tilted his head back even further, pressed into the rough tree bark, and gently moved his hips against Lance's, hoping for some sort of friction. And boy, did he get it. 

His moan grew louder, his eyelids fluttering in pleasure. How was he supposed to deal with this shit? He was this close to losing it, and they both still had their clothes on. 

His arms finally regained movement and he twisted his fingers into Lance's hair, pulling gently and asking for some kind of mercy. The Prince was not going to survive this. He could fight a hundred battles, get beaten up, tortured, but one minute with Lance and he felt like crashing and dying from pleasure overdose. 

He was already half hard again, twitching and shaking beneath Lance's touch. Yeah, he was definitely gonna die out here.

When Keith's voice, drowned in pleasure, hit the hunter's ears, boy if he started to loose it. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't imagined this moment, the prince completely and utterly surrendering to his touch and squirming under his lips, but he would've never expected it to sound like that, so true, so lustful, certainly enough to start to turn him on. 

He could feel Keith's body reacting against his own, and he grinded against him again and again, inevitable pants escaping his mouth in the process. And when he pulled his hair? Damn, he loved it. 

He decided to allow the prince a second to breathe before taking his sweater and slowly pulling it over his head, taking his time to admire his exposed, snow white skin. A few small scars could be seen here and there, but all the bruises were thankfully long gone. 

He took his thighs and lifted the prince to lay him on the improvised nest, towering him afterwards. He slowly run his lips across his collarbone, between his chest and down his abdomen, tracing every place with his hands as well. 

When he reached the skin above his groin he stopped to unzip and lower his pants tediously slowly, and he crawled back up to reconnect their lips once more. This time he kept caressing his chest with one hand, as the other trailed down to tease the bulge of his boxers.

Keith let out whimpers at every touch, arching his back into Lance's lips, which surprised him when they reconnected with his own, and he kissed back just as passionately. 

And when Lance touched him down there, he could have screamed in pleasure. He was getting harder and harder under Lance's touch, and he was sure the boy could feel it too. After all, he was nearly holding Keith's manhood in his hand. 

His own trembling fingers started pulling the laces out of Lance's shirt, feeling a bit embarrassed about being the only nearly naked one, while simultaneously kicking off his boots and pants. 

This was going... fast. Very fast. The Prince wasn't sure whether he minded. It felt weird, someone else making him feel this was, this helpless, but at the same time he wanted Lance to move even faster, to touch him even more intimately. 

Lance's shirt wouldn't move past the boy's wide shoulders, and Keith grew more and move frustrated, pulling and tugging, until he eventually gave up and tangled his fingers back in Lance's hair. Who cared about the shirt? It would come off eventually. For now, he was completely lost in the heated kiss, keeping Lance close and tasting his tongue. 

God, he loved how the other boy took control, hung over him like his protector. He was definitely hard now, his aching member straining the thin fabric of his underwear, making itself known to Lance's touch. 

That was the moment the Prince realised no one had ever seen it before, since he was a baby at least. Oh god. What if Lance didn't like it? What if he was disgusted by it? Keith had already assumed that if they were gonna have sex-sex, Lance would be the one doing the... How did you call that? Lance would be the one on top. Mostly because of his dominance, his control, but also because Keith had no idea what to do if that was his task. He took a quick breath and dove back into the kiss. Lance's lips tasted better and better the more Keith got used to that strange feeling.

Lance continued to fight his mouth with his own for power, loving how the prince went along with his movements and even started to get better at kissing, his muffled whimpers being music to his ears. 

He chuckled slightly at his clumsy attempt to get his blouse off and pulled away, taking his hands off his body to look at him from above with a smirk as he took it off completely. 

His bruises weren't as visible now, but the scars in the middle of healing clashed with old ones already carved on his skin. The most big and bizarre was placed on his back and was rough to the touch, but he wouldn't let Keith focus his attention on it nor let him see, it was better to avoid possible questions. 

He tossed the shirt aside and backed away to kick off his boots, taking a second to trail his lips down his stomach once more and stop above his groin. 

"Someone's happy to see me," he teased him with a grin, not breaking eye contact as he bowed down and run his lips over his boxers, feeling the pleasing twitch underneath. 

He looked at the gorgeous sight in front of him, the prince all red and flustered, his pretty skin uncovered and strands of hair messily covering his face, but letting the lust shine from his indigo eyes. And all that was Lance's doing. Just that fact made his heart jump. 

"...You're beautiful," he murmured softly before starting to pull down and take off his boxers, revealing his hard, already dripping shaft. "Utterly beautiful." 'And good in size as well', he added to himself before bending down again and embracing his thighs around him, but he didn't just go straight to that yet. 

"It's a shame I can't fill your body with my marks... Guess I'll have to mark you elsewhere, right?" He grinned, spreading his legs and starting to lick, nibble and bite all over his inner thighs, around his groin, but never making direct contact with his member.

The few moments Lance talked weren't exactly a break for Keith, the sweet voice telling him those nasty things, but then Lance's lips touched him once more and he could have screamed in pleasure. 

Keith was sensitive, he knew that. Maybe that would go away one day, once he got used to this. But he'd never been this sensitive, his eyes screwed up and his hands clenched around the blankets beneath him. 

Lance calling him -all of him- beautiful was a huge relief, and the way that boy looked at him was incredibly arousing. Yeah, Lance was hot. More than hot. Unbelievably sexy. 

He arched his back, leaning on his shoulder blades, since Lance was lifting his lower body, and moaned even louder. 

No one would hear them here. People rarely travelled through this forest, and they were far enough away from the track to be completely alone. 

And so he didn't bother to mask his sounds of pleasure, moaning and groaning and whimping as Lance's lips and tongue made their way over his thighs. God, this teasing was agonisingly painful, and somehow still so good. 

The Prince gently rolled his hips, asking Lance to continue, not sure whether to just ask him verbally. But that thought was quickly discarded as his words were drowned in his throat by soft sounds coming from deep within his chest. He wouldn't be able to utter a single sentence like this, his cheeks flushed red and his lips slightly parted. Yes, he could get used to this.

The brunette kept working his tongue around his skin until it was burning with bright red hickeys, making him completely satisfied. The fact Keith was so extra sensitive was overwhelmingly pleasing, successfully gaining more and more moans every time which, by the way, already had him rock hard. 

He wouldn't lie. If it was any other person he'd taken them already, but this was different, special. Not only he wanted to make this memorable for Keith, make sure he'd never want anyone else touching him but him, but because this wasn't just a one night thing. Something deep inside the hunter pushed him to be more gentler, considerate, as if the prince was made of fragile porcelain, a treasure to keep. He liked him so, so much... He was starting to fear his feelings were bigger than he was aware of. 

He layed his lower body on the bed again, noticing Keith's member throbbing with pure need, and tended on the floor to continue wrapping his arms around his thighs to keep him close. 

He massaged his groin slowly before finally taking a hand to his shaft, first brushing it with his fingertips, then carefully taking hold of it in his hand and starting to stroke the soft skin up and down. He held his hips in place with his arms as he leaned up and licked the head, before tracing slow circles around it while his hand worked.

Keith was quite sure he'd died. Because what else could cause this overwhelmingly breathtaking feeling deep in his chest and stomach and head and everywhere in his entire goddamn body, especially the thing Lance was currently- Oh god. 

A deep, rumbling groan pushed past his lips, the warmth of Lance's hand encouraging him to be as loud as possible, let Lance know what good a job he was doing. He wanted more, deeper, wanted to be inside of that warmth entirely, but the hunter prevented him from bucking up into that sweet mouth of his. 

Keith had thought the thief couldn't look more arousing than he'd done before, but God, the way he looked so focused and hot, his tongue flitting over Keith's shaking member forced the boy to avert his eyes from fear of coming too soon. 

He'd touched himself before, of course. Everyone did that. But the effect his own pale hands gave him was nothing, nothing compared to this sensation. 

Maybe it was because it was his first time, or maybe it was just Lance who knew how to do this perfectly. Keith didn't really care. He just knew he wanted more, faster, but at the same time was completely overwhelmed already and wanted to slow down. What a strange feeling. 

One of his hands pulled loose from the blankets and latched onto Lance's head once more, failing to push him down due to his unexplainable shaking, and settling on just grabbing his hair tightly to keep himself grounded. 

Most of his hair had come out of his tight bun, sticking to his sweaty forehead and flowing around him like he was underwater. 

Keith didn't care about the way he looked right now, how pathetic his neediness was, how desperately starved his expression. All he cared about was Lance, so close to him, making him feel this incredible.

There wasn't a second where Lance's eyes strayed from Keith's satisfactory expression, watching him slowly drown in pleasure was the only thing he needed, his new goal in life. 

And so he started to suck, little by little, licking that salty sticky mess he'd made in anticipation. He slowed down and pulled away just in case the prince was close, using those seconds to unzip his own pants, which were starting to make his member hurt, and took them off before proceeding to continue his work. 

He didn't want to praise himself, but he'd grown quite good at this due to experiences and muscle memory, and he didn't even need to try that hard since Keith was already overly sensitive. 

He took it in his mouth again, but this time he went deeper and deeper - careful not to graze it with his teeth - until he couldn't fit more of that and took the remaining base on his hand. He sucked back up slowly, feeling the drag of his skin and how it throbbed on his mouth, to suck back down and hum deeply around it. 

One of his arms tightly kept him in place, but he let his other hand continue caressing his sides and soft skin, as he felt himself twitch at Keith's hand gently pulling on his hair. 

He doubted there had been a time before that moment, where he'd been this hard without any real contact. Keith truly was something. Perhaps it was due to his hot, perfect, godlike temple called body, him looking like an angel but letting out sinful calls of pleasure, it was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

'Alright, so this was what a blowjob felt like,' was the only thought running through Keith's mind that actually made sense. The rest were something along the line of 'Ahhh', 'Oh god' and 'Shit I want to be fucked'. Yeah, he was a mess. 

The bright flush tainted his cheeks once more, his mouth open and panting the other boy's name, his entire body trembling with desire, and still unable to move even an inch. Lance's mouth was... incredible. It was wet, and hot, and tight, and it moved so perfectly around him, that smooth tongue teasing at his head. Totally unfair. 

Somewhere in the back of his mind was a voice screaming at him to think about Lance, to not be so selfish and take all the pleasure for himself. But that voice was silenced by the breathtaking pleasure coursing through him. 

"Lance~" he moaned. "Lance, please, I-" Keith choked on air as Lance bobbed his slowly, and tears came into his eyes. Jesus Christ. This should be illegal. Totally illegal. 

A strong pressure was building in his stomach, clouding his senses, and he knew what that meant. What was he supposed to do? He didn't want to make a mess on Lance. And so he pulled on the boy's hair gently, until that mouth came off with a 'pop', Keith looking dishevelled and already missing that warm and overwhelming feeling. 

"Lance," he panted. "I'm gonna.. I'm about to.." It was a bit embarrassing, that he lasted so shortly. Was he supposed to keep it in until they came together? This was why he should have been told about this stuff years ago.

The moment the prince started to call his name, Lance felt something ignite inside of him like never before. Few times people had called his name in the act, some even called names that weren't his. 

But Keith... Keith was moaning for him and him alone, because he wanted him. He could live out of his moans, of him calling his name, pleading him, and never need anything else. 

Then his moans increased, but he pulled his hair and made him stop. His expression only made him throb with heat; he looked absolutely horny. Horny and lusty and barely able to say a single word, overwhelmed by all his pleasure, then Lance raised an eyebrow with a sweet yet amused smile on his lips. 

Keith was probably the first person to ever take consideration of him while he was giving head, asked for permission, even when he shouldn't have to. 

"Then I'll watch you," he murmured before bending down and once more take him on his mouth, taking his previous slow speed while he lowered his own boxers and finally payed attention to his own needs, almost whimpering due to all the contained delay. 

He started to bob his head faster, making wet sinful noises in the meantime and increasing the speed of his hand on his own member, causing a few groans escape his throat around Keith. The hold on his groin loosened, allowing his hips to finally move.

Keith wasn't sure what was more intense. The feeling coursing through his entire body, coming from where Lance's mouth was clenched around him, bobbing up and down, or the deep adoration he felt for the boy currently sucking his dick. Both were so incredibly overwhelming, and his moans got louder and louder as his climax approached. 

And when he saw the way Lance was pleasuring himself as well, taking Keith's task as his own, it became to much for him. 

His eyes screwed shut and he burst from build up pressure. His body went rigid, shaking and trembling and curving in all angles beyond his control. This was definitely intenser than he'd ever come before. 

A pang of guilt went through him as he felt his hot liquids shooting out and into Lance's mouth, but then he remembered the hunter had asked for it. It took him nearly a full minute to quiet down again, stilling on the ruffled blankets, panting softly and his skin returning to its usual colour. 

Then he looked up at the other boy, who was still hanging over him. 

"Thanks," he breathed lamely. "That was.. Yeah. I'm.. What do I do now?" His eyes found Lance's, and he knew the boy was barely containing his own pleasure. He looked like he wanted to pound into the tired Prince, but that probably wasn't the best idea right now, though the image was intoxicating. Another time. 

But he should at least help Lance get there too. He'd been so consumed by his own -incredible- pleasure, that he'd completely neglected Lance. He'd wanted their first time to feel good for that boy. Shit. Would he despise Keith for this? 

The prince pushed himself up on his hands and looked from Lance's eyes to his member, still held tightly in his own hand. 

"Do you want me to help you?" he asked, licking his lips. He might as well try. There was a first time for everything, even sucking a dick.

Lance was still cleaning the sticky mess on his mouth; he'd expected the prince's load to be a lot, but not that kind of lot, and he'd almost chocked on it, however in the end he'd managed to swallow most of it in one go and he'd taken care of the rest. 

Regardless, the sight his eyes had been blessed with was enough reward for him and enough to add points of experience to his player charms, and Keith's face? His sounds and body? Something he'd never forget. Then Keith thanked him, and he almost wanted to laugh at that. 

"No need to thank me, I did it because I wanted to," he replied before the prince sat up and his eyes trailed down, immediatly making him flush red. 

Lance was proud to consider himself an expert in bed, but when it came to people doing him favors? He couldn't help but feel embarrassed, plus slightly uncomfortable. Like everything else, he could do it himself.   
He chuckled at his question and shook his head. 

"Perhaps another day babe." It wasn't because Keith didn't know how to give head, but because he really didn't need it. He was already pretty stiff for that. 

Then again, taking care of it himself while the prince watched would be ten times ten more uncomfortable. 

He felt himself starting to hurt, causing him to wince slightly. Knowing the prince, he would probably feel guilty if he didn't do anything. Perhaps... 

"...But if you really want to help, I guess you could..." He sat kneeled in front of Keith and reached to grab his pale hand, hesitantly taking it to his own member and immediatly shivering at the foreign contact. He locked his eyes on his, silently asking him to touch him.

Keith nodded silently and bit his lip. His long, pale fingers tracing gently along the length of Lance's cock, feeling it quiver beneath his touch. Wow, that was weird. 

He forced his eyes up at Lance, not wanting to stare too much, and closed his hand around his member. Alright, how to do this? Just copy what Lance had done. 

His cold hand made Lance shiver even beyond normal arousal, so he quickly started moving, slow at first but picking up speed. Up and down, up and down, his thumb playing with the tip. 

Keith had of course had nothing to compare his own length with, before this evening at least, but had always thought himself on the big side of average. Lance was bigger, though not by much. It was a little longer, and way darker. Of course, that made sense. 

Just staring at Lance beautiful eyes seemed to become a little odd, so he moved forward and trailed his lips over the boy's collarbone, slowly and sensually, before sucking and kissing the skin there. Yeah, that was better. 

His other hand found the small of Lance's back and he pulled them a little closer together, making sure to keep enough place to be able to move his hand, make Lance feel good. This was fun. 

He pulled back when he realised he was making a small, red mark on the boy, and moved to another spot. No one would see hickey on the hunter, right? Or maybe they'd assume it was from some other person. Lance had made clear that he had regular sex. 

The reason the hunter couldn't mark Keith was that the prince couldn't have sex yet at all, and definitely not with a servant. But it just felt so good, treating Lance like this, making the boy feel good. Hopefully. Keith still had no idea what he was doing.

Just sitting there was starting to hurt even more until the prince finally started to touch him, more gently and correctly than Lance had expected it to be. Despite them having the same, it was different to touch another person, you never know how much pressure to put or how the other person likes it. 

But there was Keith, making him slowly melt and and squirm under his touch, the attention his head got already making him leak precum. God, that felt good. And when his lips tickled his collarbone? He felt goosebumps all over his skin. 

He couldn't remember the last time someone had payed attention to the rest of his body like that, and definitely not in the sweet, slow, sensual manner Keith was treating him with. 

Despite him keeping his mouth shut, groans and whimpers started to make their presence on his throat, desperate to come out. 

Another new update, Lance had always been rather quiet, except of course when he was the one recieving. Because yes, Lance was occasionally the bottom, and he still was in search of new things. He was sexually curious alright? 

He raised his hands and wrapped one around his prince's back, and used the other to tangle his dark strands around his fingers to keep him there, making him until he didn't have a space left, until he'd told everyone he belonged to him.  
Because hell, he already belonged to Keith.

"K-Keith..." he breathed, letting himself surrender to his touch and drown in the pleasure, his libidinous half open eyes nailed to the lights of the cave. He leaned his cheek on his head, pulling him closer. 

"Mmm~ M-more, more...." 'Faster. Mark me everywhere,' were the words taken away by his whimpers.

The Prince had never expected such a whiny little noise coming out of Lance's mouth, to hear him begging for that touch. But here they were, Lance's sweet voice tainting the air, and Keith not hesitating for even a moment before obeying, speeding up his work and sucking harder on the boy's skin. 

Not long after, trails of dark marks littered Lance's skin, and Keith was panting himself from all the effort. It was hard work, pulling someone off. 

But the Prince didn't stop nor pauze nor slow down, his tongue working tirelessly to soothe the harsh marks he'd left, and his fingers slipping from all the wet precum already on Lance's member. He was almost there, just a little further. 

"You're mine," he breathed against Lance's skin. "You're mine, and you're beautiful, and you can take me any day. Anytime." Keith wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore, all he knew was that he wanted to make Lance happy at all times, and that that would make himself happy too. 

Just imagining Lance coming into his room late at night for some passionate action was enough to make Keith's mind spin, and he pulled even harder, wanting Lance to share his pleasure. 

"Come for me, baby," he whispered.

As soon as Keith bit harder onto his skin, the brunette let out a loud, long contained groan. He'd always been a fan of having hickeys all around his body to exhibit them proudly, but this time was different. This time his prince was marking him, out of all people. 

When his skin was bruised from all the sucking and he kept nibbling on it became somewhat painful, but so, so goddamn pleasing, and his mind spun in pure ecstasy, unable to keep up with Keith's hand which just kept getting faster and faster. Each stroke alone sent a shiver, a shudder, a whimper, a groan. 

He panted and gasped for air, his hips starting to buckle on his hand for even more desired friction, and Keith didn't stop, making pressure start to gather on his groin quickly. He held on him tight as he slowly drifted away into a nothingness where only pleasure existed, blazing, intense pleasure. 

But then the prince spoke, and the first thing he said? 'You're mine.'

It echoed in Lance's mind as his heart fluttered with passion and his body burned with desire. He still couldn't believe Keith had called him his own. Yes. Yes he was. He was all his. There was nothing he wanted more but to be all of his, completely. 

"A-All yours..." he panted between moans, pulling on his hair as he felt himself nearing his climax. A part of him wanted to hold it, to enjoy it a little longer, but the prince's last sentence was more than he'd ever expected him to say, more than he ever knew he needed. 

That was so fucking hot. A command yet a plea, a favor, a request, from his prince. The friction of his hand, his aching neck and Keith's petition... Oh god. 

The pleasure became unbearable, and it all gathered quickly into sudden, throbbing spurts as he came, grunting and moaning as he released his seed all over Keith's hand. 

For a moment he still was oversensitive, making him continue squirming as the prince slowed down his hand on his softening member, only stopping when he'd completely finished. He left Lance panting heavily, completely exhausted and unable to say a word while his pulse went back to normal. 

"Shit, Keith..." he panted, weak at his knees.

Keith released him completely and looked down at his stained hand. Yes, he'd done a good job. If that huge load of cum wasn't proof, he'd just have to look at Lance's face again, remember the sounds he'd been making only moments previously. 

God, he'd looked incredible. He still did, to be honest. Lance could never look bad, even with those tired eyes, sweaty skin and panting for air. 

He bent forward a little to press a gentle, short kiss to Lance's lips, and then looked around before wiping his hand on the leave strewn ground. He'd almost forgotten they were still in such a beautiful place in the middle of the forest. 

Most of the fireflies had disappeared, as if they hadn't wanted to see what had just happened. It was nearly dark, but the moonlight reflected so refectly off Lance's features. This was his boyfriend. His beautiful, sweet, talented, hunter, thief boyfriend, who had just proved how great he was in bed. 

Yeah, Keith couldn't have been happier. All thoughts of Lotor, his father and the marriage had disappeared from his mind hours ago, drowned by longing and desire. 

He smiled softly at Lance, feeling both of their exhaustion from both riding all day and being this intimate, and he gently pushed the boy down against their nest, crawling next to him, but still facing him. 

"So," he began, a bit nervous to ask about his own performance. "Was that.. Was I any good?" The prince bit his lip and looked in Lance's eyes. All he could hope for was that it had felt at least half as good for Lance as it had done for him. Sure, they may have some things to work on, but this wasn't a bad start, right?

The brunette let himself be pushed to the nest, instantly wrapping his arms around the prince and pulling him on top of him, so he'd be laying on his chest. 

The innocent question that followed the dirty things he'd just done caused Lance to chuckle slightly, slowly raising a hand to unravel his hair band and let his coal strands fall on his neck. 

"Very," he reassured him kindly, gently brushing his bangs while staring into his eyes, a warm smile placed on his lips. 

"You're stunning, you know? Your eyes look like galaxies and stardust," he cooed, tracing slow patterns on his back. Now that he thought about it, the Keith in his arms looked completely different from the prince he first met. Not the Keith in the tower, but the one he'd ordered him around in the castle and the woods. 

The prince from the tower, the one he'd met as a thief... Was somehow different, more open to show Keith's insecurities. The fact he'd ended up with him still amazed him, and that from before... 

"I enjoyed it... But somehow that felt like more than just, being intimate," he tried to explain softly. It was no secret he was sexually active, tried so many things, and yet? 

"You were so sweet and gentle I... No one has ever... talked to me like that. Treated me with such care before. I guess what I'm trying to say is... You're what I've been looking for all along, and I didn't even know," he said with a soft giggle, feeling his heart overflow with affection. 

Maybe... Maybe Keith was the one. Just maybe. "Thank you." He whispered, leaning forward to connect their lips once more.

Keith's kissed him back softly, while his smile slowly widened. Lance had liked it? And in a different way than he usually did? More than usual maybe? 

He pulled back and lay his arms on Lance's chest to push himself up a little. 

"I.. Yes. I guess I just wanted to make you feel good, as good as I could." How could I be that no one had ever been kind to Lance while, well, doing this? Lance was so kind, how could you ever be mean to an angel like him? 

The Prince pressed another soft kiss to the hunter's lips, and then pushed himself up completely. 

"We should probably put on some clothes. It wouldn't be wise to freeze to death tonight, not after we've survived for so long." It was difficult to get off, both their bodies sweaty and completely naked. When he eventually managed, he looked around for his boxers and pulled his pants on as well. Lance's were quickly found and he helped the boy dress, before kneeling back down next to him. 

His cold fingers decided to trail patterns over Lance's bare chest, smiling gently at that beautiful face. 

"You know, I'm glad you were my first time. Thank you so much." His smile turned a little sadder. 

"At least this way it won't be Lotor. I'm sorry, Lance. It must feel horrible that I'm going to marry someone else. It feels horrible for me, at least. I wish there was some way, any way..." But there was nothing he could do. 

Running away wasn't even on the table. His father would find him, kill Lance and force Keith to obey him. And he couldn't get out of marrying Lotor. The only way would be his father dying right now, which would leave Keith to fight his advisors for power, after which he would probably have less power than he had now. Or Lotor backing out for some reason, but that wouldn't happen either. This was a great opportunity for both their kingdoms, there was no way Honerva would change her mind. 

In that way the princes were a bit alike, but controlled by a parent. But Keith forced the smile back on his face and found Lance's hand to hold it with his own. Lance would be there to make it easier, whatever he'd have to go through.

Lance pursed his lips, looking down at his hands to avoid facing the truth for a little longer. It indeed felt horrible, not only the fact his boyfriend would be forced to marry to someone else, but the fact that person would have all the rights to touch him, and that that person was Lotor made things ten times ten worse. Just thinking about it... Made him want to strangle that sassy prince. 

But like Keith had said, there wasn't much he could do about it. At least not anything came to mind right now, but... 

"That won't stop me," he murmured, looking back at the prince again. "You have nothing to be sorry for, I knew where I was getting into when I decided to be with you. Even if we don't have the answer right now... We'll find it, alright? Don't lose hope." He took the sweater next to the nest and gently helped the prince to put it on. 

"Plus, you may be engaged, married, even... But it's just a title, not a real relationship. So as much as I'm against, it's not like you're cheating or anything." He cupped his cheeks softly and leaned to press a kiss to his nose, staying close to stare at those gorgeous eyes from up close. "We'll find a way, alright?"

Keith carefully took a few calming breaths and nodded. He knew it was impossible, a way to be together without getting either of them killed. But clinging onto that unrealistic hope was the only thing keeping him together at this moment. 

Lance was right in some things, of course. What he would have with Lotor was purely professional, only because they were ordered to. 

What he had with Lance... That was something else entirely. He loved this boy, wanted to spend every single minute of every single day with him, wanted to touch him, to kiss him, to just exist in the same space as him. He was Lance. 

"We'll find a way," he breathed. "Even if that way is just hurried afternoons in the forest and secret nights in my room. We'll be together." He lay back down at Lance's side, his head on the hunter's chest, and smiled softly up at him. Even from this weird angle the boy looked beautiful. 

He pressed the softest of kisses to Lance's jaw and lay his head down. A wave of exhaustion washed over him. This sex thing really drained your energy, or maybe it was just a first time thing. Lance seemed to he doing alright. But then again, that boy was great at hiding his discomfort. 

A pang of guilt flooded through him at the thought of Lance's injury not being noticed by him for an entire day. A distant part of his brain also felt guilty about another thing. 

No matter how amazing this felt, it couldn't last. And when reality finally caught up with them, it wouldn't end right. The guilt was mostly originating from the knowledge that he would probably survive, but Lance wouldn't. How could he do this to the sweet boy? 

Keith closed his eyes, hoping to fall asleep so this horrible feeling would leave him.

It wasn't hard for Lance to notice the prince's uneasiness when minutes went by and he was still awake. 

At first he'd reassured him they'd be together without a problem, but now he could tell he either felt worried or preoccupied, guilty, even, because that's just how Keith was. Always apologising for things he had no control of, for mistakes that were simply human. 

Despite him feeling tired, and trust me, he was extremely tired, he couldn't bring himself to fall asleep knowing Keith wasn't feeling well. 

He held him close, having wrapped his arms around him as one hand played gently with his hair. He loved his hair, despite not really liking mullets at first. Maybe that's just what... liking someone, did to you. 

He was too tired to sort out his feelings and decided to leave it for another day. For now, he held the prince tight, relaxed against his warmth and started humming the same song from this afternoon, softly and quietly, knowing Keith would feel the notes echoing in his chest. 

He hummed and hummed, until Keith's breathing turned even and louder, telling him he was asleep.

Only then he let himself stop, close his eyes and let a sweet dream embrace him with it's arms, where he was met by the prince once again. His hair was longer, braided, and flowers gently rested in it. They were in the forest.

And he looked happy.

It was a good dream.


	25. Nighttime Terrors

Though Keith appreciated the tight grip, the warmth Lance gave off, he fell asleep with the same hurt expression on his face. Lance was gonna get hurt and it would be his fault. His dream were plagued with the same ideas, though they made less sense, were just carried by that paralysing fear of losing what he'd just found. Of losing Lance. 

He groaned in his sleep and clenched his fingers around the boy's shirt, scrunging up his face. He was back in the Castle, the sun bathing the throne room in a golden light through the glass dome in the ceiling. But the gold seemed unnatural, superficial. It wasn't real. 

A heavy fabric was weighing him down, and the Prince stumbled a few paces back when he realised what he was wearing. The red and golden patterns marked his wedding clothes. No, not yet. Please, no. 

But an invisible force pushed him forward, all the way to the front of the room, through so many people. Their blank faces didn't do anything to stop this, no matter how much he struggled and screamed. Why didn't they help? And there was Lotor, that evil smirk even wider than usual, like it would split his face in two. Please... 

But next moment, the ceremony had passed and the officiater, a faceless copy of his father, was binding his and Lotor's hands together with that dreaded sash, symbolic for binding their lives together. No. Where had the weeks gone? He was supposed to have time before the wedding, time to prepare. Where was Lance?

And then it was just him and Lotor, alone in his room. The man tried to kiss him. Hell no, was all Keith thought, and he turned around to run away. The same golden thread emblazened sash closed around his throat from behind. No, he wasn't supposed to die here. Lance and he were gonna get out. Where was Lance? 

Keith rolled over in his sleep, off the hunter's chest and moaned into nothingness, his eyes closed tight. He couldn't breath. "Lance," he panted, nearly inaudible. "Lance, please. Please save me." A scream erupted from his throat, clawing wildly at where he felt the fabric around him, preventing him from breathing. "Don't let him.. Lance!"

In the middle of his own dream any trace of paradise vanished, burst by a distressed voice calling his name. Lance shot his eyes open, startled, and his eyes widened at the scene. 

By the words that had escaped the prince's mouth he could guess what the nightmare was about and hope for the worst. Oh no. 

He sat, hurried to turn him around and lift his upper body in his arms, taking his wrists before he hurt himself. 

"Keith," he called loud and firmly. He knew all about nightmares, and knew if he tried to shake him or wake him up in any violent way, it could cause him an emotional shock. 

"Keith, listen to me, you're dreaming and it's time to wake up, my love." The prince struggled, tried to push him away, but Lance didn't flinch, no matter how much it hurt to see his scared, pained expression, he continued to hold his shaking body. 

"Baby, I'm here, I'm here..." he cooed softly close to him, gently swaying him to calm him down and bring him back to reality in the most soothing way possible.

Keith hit around him with everything he had, desperate to fight Lotor off. But the bloodred sash had soon been replaced with his father's terrifyingly strong hands, lifting him into the air. 

"Please," he croaked, tears starting to stain his cheeks. Air, please. He wanted to claw at the thing obstructing his breathing, get it off, but his hands were held down by someone incredibly determined. He was fainting, the bright light of the room fading away before his eyes, all he could see was the disappointment on his father's face, and then... Something else. 

His eyes wide open, he saw the ceiling of their little hideout. Keith gasped for breath, slowly coming back to his senses, when he realised he was being held. His eyes found those beautiful, blue ones where worry flowed out of. 

The Prince forced his fingers to relax and he slowly let go of Lance's shirt. The sweat, dripping over his back, stuck his sweater to his skin. He felt nauseous. But Lance was here, it was just a dream. Don't be an idiot, you've had bad dreams before. 

They weren't often this bad, or this hard to wake up from, though. The knowledge that he finally had something worth protecting made him even more scared of losing everything. And the tears didn't stop flowing from his wide, red eyes. 

"I was... You were.. Oh Lance," he cried, falling into the boy's chest and sobbing silently. Later, he would feel embarrassed. But now he just needed the comfort.

Lance hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath and tensing his muscles until his prince woke up, and his own worry slowly flowed out his body with each tear he saw falling from his crystallized indigo eyes. God, he was awake... He sighed deeply and adjusted his embrace on Keith so he'd be resting on his lap, continuing to sway him in his arms gently. 

"Shh... It's alright, it's just a bad dream," he murmured calmly, despite being terrified a few seconds ago. Keith could've really hurt himself. "You're alright, we're safe, no one's going to hurt you, darling. I'm here." He let the prince's shaky body calm down in his strong, protective embrace, letting the tears silently soak his shirt so he'd let it all out. 

"Breathe," he reminded him almost in a whisper, remembering how he clawed himself with his nails before. "Let it all out."

The feel of Lance's arms around him calmed the Prince like nothing else could have. It was just a dream... 

But how was he supposed to forget about his fears when he knew the dream was based on a real event that would happen so soon? He hád to marry Lotor. They would háve to kiss. No matter how much he despised the thought, there was no way to run from it. 

Just get through this. Lotor won't want it either, so he'll limit the time you spend together. That was the only thing keeping him together, the knowledge that this was just as terrible for Lotor as it was for him. Well, maybe not exactly as bad. Lotor would be in charge, he would have control. 

Keith's sobs slowly faded away, after which he just lay against that strong chest for a while. Lance was here. "I'm sorry for waking you," he whispered, backing off and looking at the ground between them. "I had a nightmare, it was...." Keith sighed. Just let it all out. Lance will understand. 

"I was getting married. To Lotor. And I couldn't find you and I couldn't breathe. I died, Lance." The Prince shivered and clenched his hands together. His nails had left angry red scratches on his throat and collarbones, but he hadn't drawn blood. He didn't blame Lance for letting him die in that dream. How could he? It was just... difficult. Stupid nightmares.

The hunter listened carefully, making a small grimace at how terrible the nightmare sounded. If Keith had died In the dream it probably meant he felt a part of him would die when he got married. But why wasn't he there? Keith knew he'd always be there for him, right? 

"Well... Dream Lance is an idiot," he said with a half laugh, rubbing his left eye with the base of his hand to get rid of his desire to sleep. "I would never leave you.... And as much as it butts me, I'll be there, at the wedding." It's not like he had a choice in the matter anyway. Royal weddings required the asisstance of all castle members, and that was not negotiable. 

"...I may not be able to stop it, but I'm here for you, Keith. And I'll be there as well, supporting you from afar. There won't be a second I'm not by your side, alright? You don't have to be scared," he murmured carefully, raising his hands to gently wipe the tears off the prince's reddish cheeks. 

"I'll go visit you that night, and many nights after that. I know... I know what the marriage implies, but that doesn't mean your life stops there, Keith. Nothing prince Lotor or the king does can change that, you own your own destiny. The marriage won't be the end of the world, nor end you. You can't give up like that. Even if I can't reach you, you have to stand up for yourself, and fight. If Lotor tries to do something, you fight, and you run. You hear me?" His tone was firm, yet his touch was caring and his gaze concerned. 

"You'll fight to live another day, and it will be like that for some time, maybe months, years... But some day you'll win this fight, and that day you'll be free. It's all a matter of... holding on, alright? You're stronger than that. Plus, you already shut his mouth once at the dinner table, you can do that again," he said with an encouraging smile, remembering how the prince had defended him against Lotor, or at least that's what he'd chosen to believe.

Keith broke. He was emotionally drained, physically exhausted and still shivering from the faded nightmare. For a while, the Prince just lay against Lance's chest, unable to speak or do anything. His mind was spinning. Every single problem dancing before his eyes. 

Marry Lotor or die. Suffer or stand up to the king. Leave Lance or endanger his life. Pain or misery. Victory or death. There was no middle way, and every single option was a bad one. 

"I don't want to.. I don't want to be a Prince anymore," he cried. "I don't want to marry Lotor. I don't want the pain, or the humiliation, or the heartache. I don't want to fight the rebels, to let my kingdom suffer like my father does. I don't want-" A loud sob broke his words, and he pushed his face deeper into Lance's shirt. 

"I don't want any of it, Lance. Any of it." Then he pulled away, searching Lance's eyes in the hope they would bring him back together, make him stop. But they had the exact opposite effect. The deep blue was like an ocean washing over him, taking away the little resistance he had left and stranding him on an island, completely bare and visible. 

"When L- Lotor and I get married, he'll be able to.. I don't think he will, but he'll be able to touch me, to force me. And I can't say anything about it." Tears flooded over his cheeks, falling onto his sweater and the blanket beneath them. 

"You keep telling me to fight, but how can I, when I have nothing to gain? I don't.. I can't bear him touching me. It feels so cold, Lance," he sobbed, shivering simultaneously for added effect. "I can't- I can't go back there. I can't.. Please..."

The sight in front of Lance hurt him without end. It hurt. It hurt to see his special one like this, it hurt not to be able to do much. He lowkey felt he wasn't enough, he was nothing but a peasant after all, and he consecutively started to doubt if he was the best thing he could offer to the prince.  
He wasn't.

But right now, he had nothing, no one left to comfort him, to be there by his side, but him. 

"Keith," he called him, slowly embracing him and bringing him close, face to face. "I know... I know you feel helpless and vulnerable, but you're not," he murmured with determination, raising a hand to his cheek as the other held him close by the waist. 

"I don't have power, and as much as I'd like to fight all your troubles away, I... I can't, not like this," he said, almost apologising with guilt in his eyes. 

"But you can. You're fricking Keith Kogane, you've been fighting your demons all this time without falling apart, without breaking. You're the strongest person I know, Keith, brave with a golden heart, and fire in your eyes. Don't keep quiet with Lotor, 'cause you do have something to gain, something to fight for... There is always something," he said almost in a whisper, pleading those indigo eyes to keep fighting. 

"There's us, but most importantly, you. Your future, your life, Keith. You have to fight for you, and nothing else matters... You can't give up, no matter how strong the tide is, no matter the odds. I know... I know you'll be a great king one day, Keith."

He felt his eyes tear up at the sentence. Why? Was it sadness? He'd tried so hard to avoid thinking what would happen after Keith was king that saying it out loud... hurt. He would probably continue his life without him, but that didn't matter right now. 

"If there's anyone that can stop your kingdom from suffering, it's you. We're... We're all counting on you." He patiently wiped every tear that fell off his cheek with a small smile. 

"You have to fight for a brighter day, you, my strong, fierce prince." He pressed his lips to his forehead before wrapping his arms around him once more, pulling him to his chest to soothe his shaking back. 

"...Never let Lotor cross the line with you, alright? Never," he breathed in a lower, darker tone, fearing that if the dick prince ever did something... blood would be spilled, and it would remain on his hands. 

"You'll get out of this soon, my love, I promise. Everything will be alright, you'll see... I'm with you. I'll always be. We'll get through this, together," he soothed, holding him close. 

"Together," Keith repeated slowly, through the sobs rearing his chest apart. He cried for a long time, there with Lance in the dark. But after a while, his sobs faded away, and even more time later, his breathing steadied. It may have been minutes, it may have been hours. Keith couldn't tell. All he knew was that Lance was still there by the end of it, and so were the millions of issues tearing them apart. 

But it was exactly like Lance said, he díd have something to fight for. He could fight for Lance. Even though they couldn't be together now, it was Keith's duty to keep fighting for his spirit, for his life, until they could be. Until he was free. 

And even if that day would never come, it was his duty to try, to fight for his people. He might not become a great king, but he could at least do something to relief the suffering of his people. Maybe there would be some way to come to an agreement with the Blades. 

The Prince sighed to himself. His father would never agree to that, giving in to the enemy. Lotor might. The tall Prince was smarter in some ways, unburdened by the Daibazaal way of Victory or death. But he would find some way to stab them all in the back, have his own way. That was one of the things Keith feared and respected most about Lotor, his talent for planning, for letting everything fall into place exactly how he wanted it too. Just like in his fighting, the reason Keith had never beaten him. Yet. 

Keith nearly felt himself slipping off to sleep again, but stopped just in time. "I won't let him do anything, trust me." A gentle smirk curved his lips. That boy could try to get close, Keith would be glad to show him back to his place, no matter the consequences. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself awake a little while longer, and backed off to look in Lance's eyes. 

"I'll keep fighting," he breathed. "For you. For us. For everyone my bloody family has ever hurt." He closed his eyes for a moment and pressed a sweet kiss to Lance's lips. "As long as you'll fight with me, and after that too. I love you, Lance," he whispered, too tired to stop himself. It was too soon to say such things, he knew that somewhere deep inside. But he just did. He loved Lance with every part of his being.

Lance let the prince cry and cry for minutes, maybe hours, time flies without the sun over you. He felt how his body slowly relaxed, and when he talked again his voice was steady and determined, like the great prince he knew he was inside. A soft smile was placed on the tan boy's lips at his declarations and that sweet kiss... Until he spoke his last words, and his heart stopped. 

He didn't just hear what he thought he'd heard. Right? Keith... Loved him? For real? ...It couldn't be. People always used that word unwisely, and in most cases, they didn't mean it. He was a tool, someone basic, with no riches or a perfect future to offer. 

How would anyone love him anyway? He was a commoner, and even giving all he had to the prince, he felt he'd never be enough for him. Why would Keith love him? Why did Keih like him in the first place...? 

Maybe he didn't know what he was saying anymore, what he truly felt. Anyone who'd just been comforted at night after a breakdown could've said the same thing. He wasn't worthy of loving, and not by such perfect being like Keith. His heart threatened to melt, to believe it, because why would Keith lie? Maybe he was just saying it without a real meaning behind. Lance pursed his lips, feeling conflicted.

"Do you... Do you really... mean it?" he asked in almost a whisper, as if someone truly loving him was as impossible as catching a unicorn. Right now, he was the only emotional support the prince had, it was just natural he felt attached to him, but what about after? What would he do when he didn't need him anymore? Would he throw him away too? He felt his heart sink. 

What if he didn't mean it and just said it due to being sleepy? What would happen to his already bruised, toyed, mistreated heart? He wouldn't take it. He wouldn't believe it. He wouldn't fall for it. He'd fallen too hard for Keith to be rejected now. 

His gaze fell to the blankets, unconciously frowning at the built up feeling of being stabbed by his love interests year after year. It hurt. "You're tired," he stated, slowly embracing himself. "We should sleep, it's late." 

Keith was half asleep by the time Lance spoke again, and didn't quite understand. Maybe he had misheard, or maybe he was already sleeping. 

Did he mean it? Of course he meant it. Hadn't he shown that properly? Should he love Lance more? The Prince wasn't sure that was even possible. He loved Lance like nothing he did before. A friend. A savior. A lover. 

Keith smiled softly to himself and he lay back down, Lance behind him. Yeah, he loved Lance. He loved him so much. All he wanted was to be close, as close as possible, both physically and emotionally. He yawned widely, not masking it in any way and pulled Lance's arms closer around him, to keep the warmth and feel the hunter's heartbeat against his back. It seemed to be a little elevated, but Keith barely noticed anything anymore. He was just so tired. 

Tomorrow would be another day, another time to fight. And fight he would. He'd get back to the castle, deal with whatever his father found a suitable punishment and go on fighting. Marry Lotor. Love Lance. Survive. And with that thought Keith drifted off to sleep, save in his protectors arms and unknowing of the internal battle raging on behind him. Because how could anyone ever believe the Prince didn't love Lance?

The brunette giggled at the prince's adorable yawn and held him close, not really able to feel truly bad when Keith was next to him, seeming calmed down, peaceful, happy. The least thing he could do was try to be happy as well, whether the prince held true feelings for him or not, however he'd decide to leave him in the future. 

Because Keith would eventually become a king, and if everything went right, he'd be a single king. He'd be able to make his own rules and marry whoever he desired, but would he truly decide to stick with him that far? 

He forced himself to stop thinking about it, fearing the tears from his eyes would spill, and sleep didn't take long to reclaim him once again in a deep slumber. Like one of the previous days, he dreamed he was next to a fireplace in a warm house, sitting on a colorful, round, vibrant carpet.  
This time, however, he sat alone, and the blazing fire had never felt this cold.

He truly wished Keith meant it.


	26. I Love You

The sun chased the moon until it lingered in the bright sky once again, it's warm - warmer than this past few days - thin sunrays gently filtered through the treetop's branches, and some of them showered the boy's faces. 

Lance opened his eyes, feeling extremely numb and heavy. His muscles hurt. He apparently hadn't rested at all. He tried to go back to sleep but the light didn't allow him to, and he felt pressured by the chirping of the nearby birds.

He felt miserable. He missed his bed, his home, his family.

But his neck was tickled by Keith's raven, cinnamon scented hair, and he remembered why he was there. He was unable to move, so he decided to give him five more minutes of sleep and let his eyes travel from their surroundings to their bodies pressed together and the contrast of their skin. Damn, Keith really was gorgeous, from behind, from above, from all angles. All of him.

Keith was having the most wonderful dream, riding as fast as he could with Kosmo, getting away from the Palace. Lance wasn't there, but he knew the hunter would be waiting for him when he got to his destination, though he wasn't sure where he was going. Somewhere far, far away from his father. Finally. 

And so he woke up a while later with a soft smile on his face, which widened at the feeling of Lance's arms around him. Yeah, he could get used to this. Too bad Lance wouldn't be able to stay the night back at the castle. The risk of someone coming in was too big. 

The Prince rolled over in his arms, grinning stupidly. How could he not when he was woken up to such a beautiful face? This may be their last morning together for a while, so he'd enjoy it as much as he could. 

"Hey, baby," he breathed, laying an arms over Lance's waist. "Good morning." The vague memory of his nighttime tears reentered his mind and his smile faltered a little. 

"Did you sleep well? After, you know.. I woke you up." Weirdly enough, that crying really improved Keith's mood. He felt good, having relieved himself emotionally. He had a new purpose, something to fight for. And Lance had given it to him. 

"I slept wonderfully myself," he mused. "Your arms are so comfortable." He gently squeezed Lance's bicep and giggled. Yeah, the hunter was ripped. It was hot. 

He brushed a hand through his hair, the ribbon holding it together having been long lost somewhere in the blankets. He'd gotten rid of it last night, when they... Oh god. In all the emotions and talks and drama, Keith had nearly forgotten what they'd done. 

A small blush tainted his cheeks, but he played it off as it being the cold. What are you doing, Keith? Lance knows you had sex. Don't be so stupidly embarrassed. He leaned on his elbow and pecked Lance's cheek. "Big day today. You exited to see your family again?"

The moment he met Keith's joyful expression, Lance couldn't help smiling softly in return. "Good morning." He murmured lowly. A pang of guilt struck him as Keith asked him how he'd slept. He couldn't tell him he didn't sleep okay because he'd immediatly think It was his fault when in reality, it wasn't. Him stressing himself out all night was his fault and his fault only. 

He felt his cheeks turning the slightest of pinks at the touch on his arm as the prince checked him out and chuckled as well. That was cute. 

"There's nothing wrong with waking me up, babe. If you ever have another nightmare or you're not feeling well or whatever reason that's keeping you from sleeping, just wake me up, alright?" he reassured him, gently placed a kiss on his forehead. 

"I slept alright," he said, you know, like a liar. But what would he gain by worrying his prince? "I'm glad you slept well, I can lend you my arms any time," he mused with a soft giggle, yawning and moving to stretch his arms a bit before placing one over Keith again, craving the contact. 

"And yeah! I really miss them. It hasn't been that long but I guess living with lots of people makes you homesick easily. I especially miss my bed and my sister's cooking. Oh, and Hunk's, for that matter. His food always lifts my mood." He smiled absentmentally, running his fingers through Keith's silky hair. 

"Your hair is really soft, I like it," he confessed, chuckling when he noticed how tangled it was. "Although it's quite messy due to yesterday, but that's alright." 

The mention of last night suddenly made him remember something, and he brushed Keith's mullet to the side to see if his hickeys were too visible. They were merely faint spots now, hopefully invisible to everyone else. Thank god. He'd almost gotten carried away with the marking, but leaving his mark on people was something he absolutely loved. Luckily he could mark the prince in other places.

Keith let the hunter look, and shared his relieved expression when he saw it. He lay his back on the soft floor and smiled thoughtfully at the ceiling. "You know, I have quite a good method for hiding markings on my skin. So if you ever want to... You don't have to worry about it too much. When we're back at the castle, I mean." He yawned, scrunging up his eyes and covering his mouth with a hand. 

"I'm glad you slept well. And I miss Hunk's food too." Probably the only thing he missed about the Castle. Maybe his bed too. And Shiro. But all the other things... They could die in a ditch for all he cared. Stupid Lotor. 

"I am going to wash myself in the river, and then we should get going. We can have a proper meal back at the palace." Keith sat up, stretched every inch of his body and got to his feet. There should be a river somewhere nearby, he'd heard it clatter all night. 

A few minutes later, he found the sweet water, curving through the forest like a snake. The water looked fresh and clean, so he checked to see if he was alone, pulled off his clothes and stepped into the freezing stream. The last few days had been less than hygienic, and he had to at least look okay when he arrived back at the castle. 

He looked down at his legs and made a sound between a snort and a shriek. His inner thighs were littered with sucking and biting marks, blue and red and so beautiful. The Prince loved it. They were Lance's marks, and he traced them with his fingers before continuing to wash himself with water and soap.

The brunette almost fell asleep again when Keith left, feeling glued to the nest and without energy, but he eventually forced himself to get up and walk outside. He took the remaining boiled eggs from yesterday and peeled them along the oranges, served water on two plates and started eating by Kaltenecker's side. 

A sudden flaskback assaulted his mind, of the prince ordering him to fetch him water from the river. He remembered how angry that'd made him, feeling humilliated, degraded, but he knew Keith would never treat him like that again. At least in private. Perhaps in public he'd have to order him like a dog again, but that would be alright, he knew Keith wouldn't mean it. 

After finishing his breakfast and leaving Keith's plate on a flat rock, he folded and saved the used blankets on the prince's bag, noticing something he hadn't seen before. A red leather notebook. Sketchbook?

Despite feeling curious, he didn't feel curious enough to overstep trust boundaries, and closed the bag without a trace of hesitation.

He took his own soap, clean clothes and took a different direction from where the prince's tracks headed to, following the direction of the tree's roots and moss until he found the source of the noisy, soothing currents. A brief look around the place was enough to tell him he was alone, and so after taking his clothes off he carefully stepped into the river. 

He was used to cold water, having to bathe with it for the majority of the year except a few months of winter, the only months they could allow themselves paying the expensive gas bills. 

The contact of the water on his wounds hurt, but at least he could have the cuts clean and prevent them from getting worse. In a moment of soaping his body he catched his own reflection in the river, the scarring on his eyebrow not being what caught his attention but the purple hickeys of his collarbone and neck instead. Damn, they were plenty- more than he'd expected. 

'You're mine.'

Lance felt red blooming on his face as well as a smitten, embarrassed smile. He was glad that, unlike Keith, he could carry around those love bites all around the village with pride, showing off the affection he recieved from his lovely boyfriend to everyone else like a trophy.

Keith had intended to be quick. They still had a while to go, and the Prince wanted Lance to return to his family as quickly as he could. Lance deserved a few more days with his mother. Besides, the sooner Keith returned, the less harsh his punishment for letting the rebels defeat him would be. Hopefully. 

But days of being outside and nearly dying had covered his skin in a thick layer of dirt and dried sweat. It took him nearly half an hour to make himself look somewhat presentable. And even though Lance had done a good job last night, Keith still had to clean himself down there as well. 

When he was done, he climbed out, dried himself off with a clean cloth and dressed in the only outfit he had left. A somewhat faded shirt with a characteristically red vest covered his pale and barely marked chest. 

After slipping into his boots he made his back to their small camp, smiling at the sight of the breakfast Lance had left him. He was so sweet, so caring. Keith had never met someone like him. 

A memory floated to the surface. A very tired Prince, cheeks tearstained and limbs trembling, laying in the arms of the strong hunter, whispering that he loved him. Had that truly happened? Shit, he was such a fool. Lance hadn't said it back. That meant it was too soon, way too soon. Oh fuck. What to do, what to do? Just pretend it never happened? Yes, that would work. Just never bring it up again. 

He spent a while feeding the horses and packing the rest of their stuff while waiting for Lance. The hunter was probably washing. Shame he hadn't come to join him. Wait, did Keith want him to? Perhaps... Another day, maybe.

It took some time for the hunter to be at least half satisfied with the shower. Even if it didn't look like it, he enjoyed to take long baths and put on the skin care products he could afford, or steal them from his sisters. What? A face like that wouldn't take care of it's own. 

After drying himself he dressed up with a black sleeveless v neck - wide enough to let part of his pecs show - shirt, dark oak pants and his usual boots. He hadn't used that shirt until now due to the weather, but today was warm enough to do so. Plus? It absolutely showed off the marks on his collarbone, and he loved it. 

Content with feeling more awake now, he returned to where they'd been staying, glancing at his prince from a couple of feet away. His heart instantly fluttered, and a silly smile curved on the corners of his lips. 

"Hey beautiful, looking pretty neat today," he praised him cheerfully, ruffling his own hair a bit more before saving his clothes, soap and cloth in his bags, noticing Keith already had packed their stuff and saddled their horses. Well, that was... quick. 

"Thanks for packing up." 'You could've waited for me to help you though,' he added to himself, aware that Keith was obviously trying to hurry. Which was only natural, right? 

Despite their reasons to arrive as soon as they could, he somehow didn't want to return to their daily life of Prince Yorak and hunter... What was his name again? Ah wait, it didn't matter. God. Suddenly running away didn't sound too bad. 

But this wouldn't end yet. And god if they were far from ending, they still had jobs to do. He looked around the place one more time before climbing onto the spotted mare's back, and waited for the prince to set their riding pace.

Keith threw their perfect hideout, the beautiful tree in which they'd spent their first night together, one last look and swung his leg over Kosmo's saddle. Just a few more hours left to their trip to enjoy with Lance, and then he'd have to go back to fighting. Fighting day and night, except for those rare moments he could spend with his boyfriend. 

He sighed and pressed his heels into the horses stomach to make her walk, before glancing at Lance. The sight greeting him was... not bad. Lance's open blouse showed off a chest so covered in bruises, it was nearly entirely purple. Shit, that was hot. And the Prince was responsible for every one of those. 

When he was caught staring, he quickly averted his eyes, a light blush on his cheeks. "You look good," he mused. "Though you might need to wear a cloak when we arrive. It will look a bit suspicious to see the Prince coming back from a long and lonely trip with a boy covered in hickeys." He chuckled softly.

Keith wasn't sure what his father would do if he found out he'd slept with a servant. He wouldn't approve, that was for sure. Then again, many royals took their pleasure from servants and guards, often without consent. His father was definitely of the opinion that a Prince should be able to get anything he wanted from a servant, even things such as this. 

The problem lay with the fact that servants were 'beneath' them, and Keith shouldn't lay with one and get himself dirty. And of course, he should stay a virgin until marriage, as was the Royal law. 

Was he technically still a virgin? They hadn't really done it, but they had sort of? Sex was weird. When did it count? 

Well, one thing was sure. He wouldn't tell his father what they'd done. Never. One thing that would be excruciatingly painful was that Lance would call him by his official name again. Yorak. The thought made him shiver. 

But he stayed focused on the path ahead of them and occasionally threw a smile in Lance's direction. Their tension was comfortable, though a bit weird. There wasn't really a word to describe their mood. It was like: 'we're lovers but won't be able to safely see each other from now on because of stupid rules and I don't want either of us to get killed and also we had sex last night'. Definitely weird.

Lance rolled his eyes at that statement, despite knowing the prince was right. It would be an easy giveaway he'd had to cover for at least their arrival. But after that? He'd embrace his marks like his own. 

He spent the ride next to his boyfriend in an awkward, not uncomfortable nor pleasing, just awkward silence. He lowkey wondered what Keith was thinking, why he didn't say anything, but then again he wasn't saying anything either. 

He suddenly wondered if Keith remember everything that had happened last night, you know, beside that. The part he must have blurry due to being half asleep, where he told him he loved him. It didn't really count... Right? He was half asleep, or more like ninety percent asleep. Like being drunk but worse, speaking with less consciousness. 

Lance sighed, gently caressing Kalt's hair strands with a blank mind. Keith didn't even seem to remember it, he should perhaps forget as well. Although he doubted he could. It felt... different, almost real.  
Almost.

"Darling?" The word escaped his lips, his eyes still fixed on the horse. He loved that word, and the roll of tongue that came along with it. He hesitated for a moment, lips pursed together as he managed to muster enough courage to be direct. "...What does the word 'love' mean to you?"

Keith froze almost unnoticeably. So Lance did remember. If he didn't, this question would truly come out of nowhere. But what to say? Should he admit it? Should he deflect? 

"Love," he repeated softly after a while, still staring ahead into the trees. "I haven't experienced it often, to be honest." How could he have? No one had ever loved him. And the few he had loved, romantically loved at least, had never returned his feelings. Like Shiro. Rollo. Lance? 

And with family... His father loved him, in his own way. He despised his only son, that was for sure. But he loved him as well, right? Somewhere deep inside. He'd never known his mother, and had only briefly met a few uncles and aunts, though none of them cared about him. 

"For me, love is feeling so deeply for a person that you'd do anything to keep them happy, even if it's difficult. It's something warm and deep, something real yet untouchable. Something much better to give then to receive." 

The love he'd received was mostly from his father, training him to be better in his own way. Keith didn't really look forward to receiving more of that 'love'. Was that love? Some people said it was.

"Most people find love with friends and family, and the luckiest of us find someone to love them back. I.. I'm not sure I will ever be that lucky."

The Prince still didn't really understand Lance's question. Why did he want to know Keith's definition of love? He was most likely wondering what those words last night had meant. 

"When someone says 'I love you'-" he continued, "-And I don't mean to friends or family, but to someone they want to be with romantically, it means... It means real love. I didn't hear those words a lot in my youth, and when I did, it was out of true love. I want that too." He looked aside and found Lance's eyes.

"I would never say those words without meaning them. In every way." The Prince held his breath. It was a big risk, he knew that. He loved Lance with every single part of his being, and the boy needed to know. He wanted to say those words as many times as he could, as loudly as he was allowed. But.. Did Lance love him back?

Lance didn't know when he'd folded on himself, embracing his arms and averting his gaze like that somehow would protect him from Keith's words - which hurt in a way. There were times that made him feel guilty for not being sure about his own feelings. Or maybe he was sure, but hesitated. Whatever it was made his heart painfully shrink at the thought Keith didn't feel loved back. Loved back? 

His words... indeed sound genuine. Not too fantastic nor dull, just... real. Real love. That meant Keith loved him? He seemed to give small hints about him remembering last night, so he remembered saying it, and meaning it?

Oh my god, Keith loved him.

Still trying to chew that fact, Lance bent forward and leaned his intertwined hands on Kalt's neck, for some reason feeling his eyes getting teary. 

"...I see," he replied dully, leaning his chin on his hands and keeping his eyes on the green forest. 

".....I've been told that many times. Too many, it started to sound ridiculous because none of them... really meant it," he started with an incredulous half smile. 

"...But I tended to believe, because being loved is... Something I've always wanted, I guess. People can be mean." He bit the inside of his cheek to prevent his tears from falling. 

"So when you said it last night I.. I didn't want to-" Wrong, he did want to. "I couldn't let myself believe. Because I know you rely on me now... But I'm the only one by your side right now, here in this forest. What about after, when I'm not.. Useful?" He breathed out shakily and managed to sit straight again, clenching his hands on the reins to look at Keith with a small, honest smile.

"I do. I do love you, Keith." He felt a tear watering his cheek, but he didn't stop. "You make my heart overflow with feelings and knowing you're happy is enough to make me smile too. I'm sorry I made you think otherwise, I should've told you sooner. Hell, I fell for you hard and I should've known there was no climbing back up." He chuckled. 

"It's just- I've never felt such intense feeling? I was scared... You wouldn't feel it too. I still am. Because god, I love you so much I might break." He let out a small laugh, raising his hands to wipe the tears suddenly soaking his face.

Lances words shocked the Prince immensely. Lance... Lance loved him back? Oh god. His eyes focused on the boy next to him, and he saw that beautiful face being stained with tears. He was crying. Why was he crying? This wasn't sad, this was incredible. They loved each other. 

The blood had seemed to rush out of his brain, leaving him lightheaded and fearing falling off his horse slightly, but he remained seated. 

"You love me," he whispered. In his wildest dreams he couldn't have imagined Lance saying those words. But then he frowned a little. "I'm not in love with you because I'm dependent on you," he spoke, furrowing his brows and looking at Lance. "I am in love with you because... Because.." He hesitated. Why did he love Lance? 

"Because you are special. You're so incredibly kind, and caring. You saw me, the real me, even behind that stupid royal mask. You are handsome and funny and talented at goddamn everything. You are perfect, even if you don't see it yourself." He bit his lip and looked down, a bit embarrassed at his sudden affection. He'd never talked to anyone like that. 

"I love you now, and I'll continue to love you once we're back and I no longer need you to get me food, to keep me safe. You did a great job, though. Thank you." He hesitantly reached for Lance's hand and held it tightly in his own. 

"I don't blame you for not telling me you loved me immediately, though it did make me a little anxious. I understand how difficult it must be for you. But I mean it, I love you, and I will try to prove that to you over and over again, every day I'm with you." He pressed the softest of kisses to Lance's knuckles. "I love you," he repeated. "I love you so much."

'You saw me.' Lance looked at him through his blurry sight, making sure he caught everything that he said and each word made it's way to his heart. And boy if it did. By the middle of Keith's speech he was already blushing in embarrassment, the prince was suddenly being too honest. Which was new, but he loved it.

Oh, he loved it. He loved him.

And then the prince said he'd continue to love him even after, that he'd try to prove it, and Lance melted completely. He felt his heart lower it's walls, open the gates and surrender completely to the prince, welcoming him, inviting him in. 

And he felt Keith's love with each gentle word, with that soft kiss, the warmth of his hand. It was the most real thing, untouchable yet warm like a gentle summer breeze soothing his skin, and powerful. Oh god so powerful. The hunter knew this feeling went beyond him, was bigger than him, his body barely containing it from exploding. 

Being the emotional roll he was, Lance started to chuckle as the remaining tears continued to fall, but he was happy. So happy and euphoric. Is that what being loved in return felt like? 

"I... I love you too...! So, so much, Keith." He giggled, wiping his final tears and placing his hand over the prince's, leaning on his touch and gazing at his eyes. "More than I've ever loved anyone else, I... You make me feel... You make me complete, and you're heartwarming and radiant like a thousand suns, and make me feel alive." 

Yes. No matter what happened, no matter what future stored for them, this emotion was worth It. He'd never regret loving Keith. "Thank you..." He pressed his lips to his hand before letting them hang loosely, dedicating him the sweetest smile and hopefully reflecting how he felt inside. "My sunshine."

The Prince felt like screaming, or exploding, or doing any of the other stupid things people did when overcome with emotions. Because damn, Lance made him emotional. His talent for knowing just what to say continued, and Keith couldn't keep up with that, so he turned to him, leaned forward and pulled on Lance's shirt until their lips just met. 

It was difficult, kissing while riding, but not impossible. And it was also the only way for him to express what he felt, hoping some of his happiness came through his lips, which moves temporarily against Lance's, before pulling away again. 

"Thank you," he whispered. "You make me feel the same way, but differently." Wow, that sounded like he was a total idiot. "I mean, you make me feel like a part of something, even if it's just our love. You make me feel like I belong? Like... Like I'm safe in your arms. Safe and loved. And that's all I want." He smiled nervously. 

"Everything about you just makes me so happy. Your smile, and your voice, and your laugh. And god, when you touch me, it feels so right." The reddish blush crept it's way up his cheeks once more. That had sounded way more sexual than he'd intended. Well, it díd feel good when Lance touches him like that too. Better than anything he'd ever experienced. 

But that wasn't why he loved him. Keith loved him because he was Lance, because he was sweet and caring and brave. And because he made him feel loved. 

Lance was surprised by the sudden kiss - hell, this was the first time he'd been kissed while riding with another person, and that person was Keith! He melted into the kiss, feeling his heart screaming at how ridiculously romantic that was. 

He'd have done so many things with the prince already if it wasn't for the fact they'd spent most of their time on their horses, but it was alright, he could and would wait for them to finally relax and have time to cuddle. Because as it was to expect, Lance loved, craved cuddling with his lover. 

He tried to make a mental list for all the things Keith said he liked about him to have them in mind, and silently agreeded to some of them. Keith made him feel part of something too, and that's also something he'd been wanting to for years, and holding the prince in his arms made him feel his warmth and affection, made him feel wanted, loved. It made him feel like the luckiest man in the entire world, and there were very few things that made him happier.

Actually scratch that? Nothing made him feel happier than Keith did, all of him. He couldn't stop chuckling the moment his pale skin turned to his trademark color, knowing they'd just thought the same thing - although Lance knew he didn't mean it like that. Or at least entirely. 

"You kinky little prince," he joked, rolling his eyes. "But I get you. I enjoy it... too. In every way of the word," he added, glancing at him suggestively. 

In all these years, Keith had been the first to touch him like that, with such care, gentleness, not only due to the inexperience but also like he was made of porcelain. Something fragile that needed to be treated softly. He could tell that was the difference between no feelings involved whatsoever to being in love. 

Now that he thought about it, It hadn't always been like that, but Keith had shown slight traces of kindness to him before even being on the mission. Deep down Keith had always been kind, and that's what trapped the hunter's heart. He raised a hand to his cheek and leaned for another kiss, entirely craving his sweet flavor. 

"Te amo," he breathed against his lips, shifting sides to pay attention to both of his lips.

Keith kissed back deep and long, finally feeling like he had it under control and it made him feel better than ever before. Lance's lips were so soft yet rough, so warm and sweet and his goddamn taste.. That gentle whisper coming from his lips made Keith shiver on his horse, which kept walking in the right direction without any guidance. 

The Prince knew what it meant, of course. He spoke so many languages, among which Lance's mother tongue. But the way the sounds rolled off his lips was something else. His hands slipped up Lance's chest to lay on his shoulders, and he kissed the boy even harder. It felt amazing, even though the movement beneath them forced them apart occasionally. It just added to the sensation of longing, of want. 

He wanted Lance so badly, all of him. Not just his body, or his heart. He wanted to be with him all day, wanted to meet his family, wanted to marry him. All of Lance. 

They only pulled apart when Kosmo and Kalt needed to avoid a tree and a distance forced itself between them, and when Keith's lips were pink and swollen. Yeah, he could get used to that. Too bad Lance's hands couldn't wander over his body, feel all of his skin when they sat atop a horse. A bit impractical, really. 

He smiled shyly at the boy once they came close again and the Prince took his hand immediately, as some sort of safety. "Thanks," he breathed, still a little out of air. "That was nice." 

"You don't have to thank me," Lance replied with a soft chuckle as his heart settled from that make out session. God, Keith's lips were addictive. All of him, in reality, was addictive. But his lips? Goddamn. 

"You're getting pretty good at this," he complimented him with honesty, still feeling the touch on his shoulders and the pull of the kiss, his pink wet lips still calling him. He forced his eyes on the forest ahead to cool himself down as he gently swinged their hands together, when something came to mind. 

"You understand spanish?" he asked him, turning to him with bright eyes. That was great! If he ever met his family he wouldn't have communication problems, and he could talk to him in that language more often. It was only obvious, he thought, for a prince to have to learn tons of different languages. 

"That's so cool, not many people in the village speak more than one language." Or were educated in general. It was usually only the sons and daughters from rich families that went to school, and only about 5% of the population could read or write. It was extremely rare for peasants to be literate. Some lords of the manor even had laws banning serfs and servants from being educated. 

Out of all the members of his family, Lance had been the first to learn how to read and write thanks to Allura, and then passed it on to his siblings and was currently teaching his nephews in secret. So the fact Keith was highly educated caused the brunette to beam with curiosity. 

"What languages do you speak?" He tried to contain the hype in his voice, although he couldn't hide it very well.

Keith smiled softly at the feel of Lance's hand in his own. It just felt... right. The question made him perk up a little, bite his lip and get lost in thought for a moment. His studies shouldn't be a difficult subject, but he was slightly ashamed at his slow progress. He should be better by this age. 

"I.. I am fluent in English, Spanish, Dutch, French and Latin. My knowledge of certain Slavic languages is nearly complete, though I struggle with prenounciation." His voice was clear and monotonous, as if delivering a report, stating his progress to his father. Those meetings never went well. He took a deep breath and clenched his hands tighter around Kosmo's reigns. 

"I am still learning Mandarin Chinese. That is.. It's difficult for me." He looked down. The difference in standards he kept for himself and other people was easily explained. He was a Prince. He should know these things, he'd been taught them since he was a toddler. Anyone could have spoken five languages had they been raised as he had. 

Besides, he needed to know these things. It was a great sign of respect to speak to foreign royalty in their own language. But don't worry about those things now. He had at least another day to forget all about his studies, and maybe more, depending on his father's punishment. Lance didn't deserve to be saddled with this guilt. He'd just have to work a little harder, be a little better, and then his father would be proud.

The mention of fluid spanish made Lance's heart jump. He could talk to the prince in his mother language and he'd understand! Even reply as such. That would be cool. 

He repeated the list of languages In his mind. Some of them he'd heard of, but he had no clue how Dutch or Slavic sounded or how Mandarin Chinese differenced to normal Chinese? 

For a moment he felt truly uncultured. Obviously, because he was. But that hadn't made him self aware until now since everyone at the village was just as uncultured. He considered people who got the chance to study very lucky and rich, and when Keith said he spoke fluently five languages and was still learning? His admiration grew even more. 

But for some reason the prince seemed.... tense? His tone was firm yet hesitating, like he wasn't proud of himself. That wasn't right. He guessed the reason, he'd used his prince voice therefore he probably felt he wasn't as perfect at he should be. But that was bullshit. 

"Keith, that's amazing!" he mused, gently squeezing his hand to gain his attention. "Five languages is a lot? Like, a lot, and that you speak them fluently is just nuts. And you're still learning other languages! Don't you realize how beyond awesome that is?" His eyes were bright with stars, and the huge admiration in his voice was apparent. 

"It's alright if you don't nail a certain complicated language like some sort of hyper god, you still manage five! Five" He really couldn't stretch it enough. "Having trouble learning is only human babe, you don't have to be ashamed. Instead you should be proud of your knowledge, of the things you've gained with your effort."

Keith pretended to look around the trees, using the cover to wipe his teary eyes. Don't get emotional now. It's your own fault that you're not good enough. 

"I don't think you understand, Lance. I've been taught these things since I was young. I've had the best teachers in the kingdom at my service. And still... And still I make mistakes. For God's sake, I've been learning Chinese for two years now, and I still can't remember all the goddamn grammar." 

The Prince took a moment to calm himself, knowing it wouldn't be smart to start screaming of his own incompetence in the middle of the forest. Lance could know, but no one else. The few languages he wás fluent in were easy. Anyone could learn them, and a lot of people spoke them. And sure, not many people spoke all of them, but not many people were the Prince. He should be better. 

"It's.. It's not as big a thing as you think it is. It's not really a great accomplishment if you're suppósed to do it. My curriculum tells me I should know six languages by the age of twenty. That's in half a year. I'm not gonna make it." 

Learning a language in six months would be possible if he had the time. But he didn't. There were also other lessons, meetings, royal visits, training. He'd just have to cut back on his free time a little. Not that he had a lot of that. 

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Lance. I shouldn't be troubling you with all this." He gave the hunter a soft smile. "I'll figure it out."

Lance pursed his lips, his perception of studies slowly vanishing. In a way, he guessed if anyone was taught the same way Keith was, they could have just as much knowledge, but... 

"That doesn't change the fact that what you know is thanks to your own efforts, that's still a matter of praise," he dropped. "Having the best teachers and great resources doesn't automatically make you a genius. What you gain is product of your daily practice, not your teachers. You should still be proud. I know you have this 'perfect prince' concept carved in your brain like your own name, but that's still facade. 

Even you forget you're human like the rest of us, Keith. You're just one guy, you can't expect to know everything and do everything right and never fail. Never break. Your blood doesn't make you a superhuman, nor your title, nor the way you were raised. You don't owe anyone anything, despite them telling you otherwise. Everyone's imperfect, even... Even prince Lotor, or your father, no matter how well they hide it. Everyone's better and worse at certain things, you're no exception, and you're not supposed to be a certain way." 

His tone was serious, but his gaze caring and his touch gentle. He couldn't help a sigh coming from his chest. Being a prince sure sounded like modern torture, full of brainwashed lords. What the hell was wrong with them? 

"You don't trouble me. I'm happy you trust me enough to sincere yourself, and believe me when I say I'd do anything to carry your worries for you. I'm afraid regards learning there might not be much I can do, but I'm still here to support you. I'm sure you'll do just right. Maybe changing the way you're learning might help," he suggested, smiling softly in return to give him a bit of hope.

As soon as Lance started speaking, Keith knew he was lost. This was their main point of disagreement. Keith didn't see himself as worthy of being Prince because of his many failures, Lance thought him one despite them. 

The boy had this way of turning everything around, of taking the blame off Keith's shoulders and evaporating it like it was nothing. A part of Keith wanted to cling to that guilt, keep it close because it was familiar. But his heart told him to let go and discover what more there was in this world. What more Lance could show him. 

Keith was afraid, afraid that when he'd come back, reality would wash over him once more, show him truly how wrong Lance had been. And if, before that time, Lance had somehow changed his mind about himself, he would have nothing to run back to. Keith was afraid to fall. 

But, if he could just reach out a little, hold onto the hope that Lance was indeed right, that he wasn't a total failure, maybe he wouldn't fall completely. Maybe... 

"Thank you," he breathed. "I will.. I'll think about it a little. Being human doesn't sound so bad." He gave Lance a hesitant smile, feeling like he'd just run a mile uphill, panting in his own head. It was difficult, changing the way you thought about yourself, but Keith should at least try, right? 

For Lance.


	27. Please Save Me From My Own Stupidity

"We should probably agree on a story for our trip," he spoke, mostly to change the subject. "I must inform my father about the rebels with as much details as I can remember, but I don't want to accidentally let something slip about us." 

That would be horrific, spilling everything about Lance on their first night back. Yeah, that couldn't happen. 

"Oh, right, makes sense. I must report it to Commander Shiro as wel," Lance agreed, making a grimace at the thought of the king finding out through his own son that he was dating a servant. That wouldn't end well. 

He took a moment to think what they needed to change or skip, realizing more than half of their trip had been non conventional moments. 

"Alright. For starter we never slept together. In both ways," he pointed out. "The second day I guarded the door from the inn outside, and the third day... The blizzard never happened, you slept in the tent. Both of us got kidnapped." 

If the king found out he was useless as Keith's protector he'd get straight up killed. The hunter couldn't help but shiver at the memory of him not being good enough. 

"But we managed to escape and... hurt some of them...? But we couldn't take the bodies because... we had to escape quickly, on our horses. I guess we never went to the market, never bought you those pencils and we never participated in the maypole dance. I think that's good enough, unless I'm missing something. Oh, and you never used my clothes...?" 

He pursed his lips. It somehow felt like he was erasing all of their special memories, precious memories that he'd keep forever. He didn't like it. 

"What we know about the Blades is their number of members, their tactics, how they act, how they fight and what they want. We know what they look like, how and where to find them, and we even know a few names. All of that is crucial information. " Especially since they ment to kill the King. 

"I'm sure King Zarkon will value it. Enough information... to get rid of them for once and for all." His tone came lower and he averted his gaze. 

Let's be honest, The Blades wanted what everyone wanted, what his entire village wanted, what Lance wanted; Justice. It was unfair to go after them, and if it was Lance's choice he'd let them finish the king.  
But it wasn't his choice, and it wasn't his father.

Keith looked down, trying to remember it all. So much had happened in the last three days, it felt like centuries had passed. 

They'd attended a festival, found the blades, fought their way out, nearly frozen to death, somehow survived, and most importantly, Keith had opened up to someone. And they'd slept together, in both ways. 

Keith had fallen in love, and that was something that would never go away, he knew deep inside. No matter what happened, his feelings for Lance wouldn't change. 

"It's always easier to lie if there's an element of truth," he spoke from experience. The few times he had lied to his father, the king had mostly seen through him, and that.. That was worse than just telling the truth. 

But once or twice he had succeeded, and that was by just tweaking the story a little to save someone from punishment. 

"I will tell him about the festival, that we attended it to search for the rebels. We did, kind of." He smiled softly. That day had been one of his favourites, just running through town with Lance, enjoying himself for what might have been the first time in years. 

"I will tell him about the storm, but we found shelter somewhere and waited for it to pass. I will avoid the nearly dying part. Don't think he'd appreciate that." Keith chuckled to himself. 

This would be incredibly difficult, to stay as close to the truth as he could while omitting the real parts, and ignoring his feelings for Lance. He wasn't sure if the king would recognise the love he felt for Lance, but it would be hard to keep that stupid grin off his face while taking about him. 

"Don't worry, I'll make you sound good. You will be fine as long as you don't do anything stupid." He squeezed Lance's hand and gave him a cheeky smile. 

"I won't talk about how you needed to save me multiple times, he wouldn't like that. A Prince should be able to defend himself. But I'm lucky I have you." The corners of his lips twitched upward and he swung their hands a little. "I'd be dead without you."

'I'm lucky I have you.' The hunter rolled his eyes as an embarrassed smile found it's way on his face, as well as a light peach blush. Nothing but that words could've triggered this reaction. 

"That's not true. You'd handled it one way or another," he murmured with modesty, ruffling the back of his hair while averting his gaze. It was true, Keith would've probably survived somehow without him. 

"You're smart and agile and fight well, I saw, despite being half unconcious." He chuckled slightly, his heart beating faster at Keith's badass moment. He looked at Keith again, happily squeezing his hand back. 

"You've saved me more than once as well though. You saved me from being cut in half by Kolivan, you saved me from being left in a blizzard and you saved me from freezing to death. Although I guess... That was both of us? We saved each other. Not just physically," he cooed with a tenuous smile. He really felt Keith had saved him the moment he entered his life. 

"You saved me the first day too, when despite hating physical contact, you allowed me to ride with you and escape from the rebels. You also saved me when you let me go from your tower. The list is quite long, aye." He eyed at Keith. 

"Keep the story as honest as possible, roger that, team leader. Plus when have I done anything stupid?" He grinned in a playful manner, knowing he did stupid things literally every single time. 

Keith snorted and pretended to think for a moment, humming softly. 

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe when you broke into the treasure, knowing full well there were guards stationed close by. Or when you came late to the guards presentation the day after. Or when you broke into my room just to bring me dinner - thanks for that, by the way, it was delicious - and nearly got killed. Or when you came to save me from a rebel camp on your own, nearly bleeding to death. Or else when you flirted with the Prince, something that could have gotten you killed had he not liked you back. Yeah, you're a real smart guy, Lance," he teased, playfully pushing against the hunter's shoulder and grabbing his hand again.

"But that's one of the things I like about you, I guess. You take risks, a lot of them. You're unafraid and uncontrolled. You're just... impulsive, sometimes. As long as you watch out, you can be impulsive with me any day. And to be honest, I wouldn't mind you doing another stupid thing and coming to my tower again." He gave Lance a dramatic wink and chuckled. 

Another thing Lance had said floated through his mind. 

We saved each other, and not just physically. 

It was true. Keith felt better than he'd done in years, and that was just the effect Lance had on him. He felt better inside. Did he make the hunter feel the same? 

He hadn't been in a great place when he left the castle, the only thing keeping him alive being his duty to his people. But now he had Lance, and Lance wouldn't leave him. Lance was plenty of reason to live, to survive. And that was exactly what he was gonna do.

The treasury. Lance just knew Keith would start by the beginning. Their rough, patchy start. Breaking in hadn't been the most stupid thing of all, but threatening the prince, with a knife, then for some reason trying to dialogue with him and knocking him out in a way that had left a bruise, that was stupid. 

His stupid actions were just followed by plenty of other stupider actions. At least Keith didn't seem to mind, not in an especially negative way. 

He chuckled at the last sentence, blushing even more due to his wink and the way his mind had interpreted 'being impulsive with the prince any day' and 'coming to his tower again'. 

It's not like he'd imagined anything explicit, but just the mere thought of taking more risks with or for the prince was exciting, and made blood rush through his veins. 

He wouldn't lie. He loved taking risks, seeking adventure, loved the adrenaline rushing through his entire body at the near feeling of danger, the satisfaction and victory of getting out alive, getting everything his way. Being in control. 

He wasn't in control of many things, being forced to change his entire personality for his job, having no control over his broken family and... his mother. 

But one thing he did control were his actions when nobody was around, when he wasn't Leandro the hunter but Blue the thief. His actions then had repercussions, consequences. He influenced other people's lives, moved masses, mattered. 

Plus, there was nothing more satisfactory than being on his shift and overhearing guards talking about how they'd failed to catch him the night before. How he was too fast, too quick. 

Boy, he loved recognition, another thing he didn't get often. Not from his superiors, and surely not from his father. 

Sneaking into the castle was fun, entertaining, like playing hide and seek but with mortal danger. Incredibly stimulating.

Doing It for his lover only added more emotion to it, and a deeper meaning, a valid reason.

Though one shouldn't get confused, Lance was aware it wasn't a game and didn't take it as such. He was careful and always tried to be one step ahead. Plus? 

"Most of those times there's a valid reason behind my actions." And that reason had a name; Rosa. And the others? The others were called Keith. 

"I'm glad you ate what I gave you by the way." I guess you could say Lance had a 'stupid' tendency of thinking of everything and everyone but himself, too. 

"I saw what had happened at dinner and just couldn't sit by and do nothing." 

Especially regards starving. Lance knew lots about that, sometimes having starved himself when winter was tough and merciless, providing him little to no prey at all. He wouldn't wish that for anybody else. 

"Plus, when I flirted with you I had seventy percent chances of not getting killed, since you had clearly checking me out multiple times," he said with a cheeky, teasing tone, eyeing at the prince knowingly. 

"The other thirty percent was worth it for such handsome guy," he completed. 

"And I do get afraid sometimes... I'm human, but the action itself and the reason behind it are more important than how I feel in the moment and try to focus on that. Plus, in the heat of the moment there's... No real time to be scared, just to act quickly and survive. That's all that matters," he explained, self aware of his own primal survivor incstincts. 

"And trust me, I am invading your tower again," he chuckled. "If you let your hair grow long enough, we could recreate the Rapunzel tale. Except avoiding all the pregnacy, dessert and gory details, of course." He held back a laugh.

Keith chuckled. "Alright. That sounds good. And it's good to know you're good at math. I was totally not checking you out, by the way." He was quiet for a while, thinking of how he'd stared at Lance from behind while riding. 

"Okay, maybe I wás checking you out. I apologise. But it's not my fault when you look like.. like thát," he stuttered. 

Even though they were together now, it had still been incredibly inappropriate for him to stare like that before they'd been in a relationship. Lance was just way too handsome not to stare. The Prince let out a long sigh. 

"Anyways, I wasn't gonna starve because I missed one meal. Going to bed hungry isn't the worst that can happen, and I don't want you to risk yourself like that anymore, okay? You could have been seen, I could have killed you. I will allow you to come into my chamber, but only when you're sure it's safe. I am not going to be responsible for your arrest, you hear me?" 

Keith wouldn't be able to life with the guilt if that was the case. The offenses Lance had committed as the Blue Spark were punishable by death, and execution would follow if he got caught. If Lance died... Everything would have been for nothing. 

He wouldn't be able to bear being married to Lotor without his real love by his side. He wouldn't be able to deal with his father, nor the rebels, nor the rest of the kingdom. Lance gave him hope that everything would be alright, and without him things would be lost. He faced Lance and squeezed his hand. 

"Promise me, okay? Don't risk yourself unnecessarily."

Lance grinned at the prince admiting having checked him out, but instantly turned rather serious when he proceeded to set ground rules, and frowned at a certain sentence. 

"You're not responsible for my actions, prince. I take my own risks and that's completely my responsibility," he stated firmly, but his expression softened under the worried look Keith was giving him. 

He looked genuinely concerned, and he didn't need to read his mind to know what he should be thinking. His blue eyes held those indigo ones for a few more seconds before he finally sighed. 

"Alright babe, I won't take unnecessary risks, I promise." Notice the emphasis on 'unnecessary'. No risk regards Keith could be unnecessary, but... 

"I'm not stealing anything again. That- That's over." It wasn't a recent choice. Lance had made up his mind the moment he'd find out the prince had payed for it. He'd been so eaten by guilt than you didn't need to ask him twice to straighten up a little. 

"Don't worry, love, everything will be fine," he reassured him, bending to press a kiss on his forehead.   
"Plus, have you seen me in action? It's Lancey-Lance, I never get caught," he stated with high confidence and smug eyes.

The Prince snorted at the sound of that nickname. 

"Lancey-Lance? That's even worse than snuggle bunny. I am not calling you that." It took a few seconds for his laughter to die away, still feeling the sensation of Lance's warm lips on his skin, and thsnd turned to the boy again. 

"Thought, I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you the first time I saw you. It wasn't exactly a real meet cute, getting overpowered by a thief in the treasury of my castle, but it had something." A soft smirk curved his lips and he stared ahead of him into the trees. 

"You, hidden behind a mask, a hand over my mouth. In another situation, it could have been hot." The Prince tried so hard to keep a straight face, but a gentle blush crept its way up his neck. 

Alright, so maybe he had something for being controlled like that. Why was he telling Lance? It was weird. He was a Prince, for God's sake. Think about your dignity, idiot.

"I was completely lost in your eyes the first time I saw them, you know? How can anything be thát blue?" He turned back to Lance and gave him a genuine smile. 

"I'm glad you've decided not to steal again. If you ever need anything, I think I.. I think I'd be able to get you what you need. I could get you gold, as much as you need, as long as I take it in small quantities." 

His father wouldn't find out easily, and Keith had full access to the treasure. He'd rather steal something himself than let Lance risk his life again. It wasn't that he didn't trust the boy, but with enough desperation, any promise could be broken. Keith knew that all too well.

"Okay, first of all I need you to stop saying snuggle bunny," Lance said between his laughter, although he didn't truly mean it. It was like an inside joke at this point. As long as he never heard it again from his ex girlfriend's overly high pitched voice, everything would be just fine. 

Everything Keith said afterwards gathered a wine red on his cheeks and had his heart racing slightly. 

He wished he could say the same for the prince, but at that time he truly didn't get along with royalty. Although he did admit the coconut shampoo scent tickling his nose was quite addictive, and at that time it had been infuriating. Of course royalty got the best care products. What he would give to take care of himself with those rich ass stuff. 

But when it came to Keith's offer, he found himself not wanting... anything. 

"Thank you, Keith, for your generosity. I appreciate it," he cooed sincerely, head tilted to the side with a kind smile. 

"But I've put you in enough trouble already for a few coins of gold. No money in the world is worth your pain." Never again, he thought. 

But he knew Keith would insist, so he proceeded to add; "If it's an emergency and I can't get out of it myself, I'll think then about reaching out to you. Alright?" 

There was something he thought perhaps would require his help, but that was for another time, when the day came.

How can anything be that blue, huh. 

"I noticed you were trying to peek at my eyes, yeah. I thought it was due to them being the only visible part of my body." 

According to his tiny ginger friend, the moonlight that pierced the castle windows only caused his eyes to look like they were glowing, spreading the blue all over and creating a hard contrast against the rest of his dark appearance that blended with the shadows. 

Lance had always thought of them as a disadvantage, but his eyes being his thief trademark wasn't at all bad. Plus? If Keith liked them, they couldn't be that bad. 

"Alright but what about your eyes? Lots of people have blue eyes, but I've only seen those gorgeous indigo pearls on you, handsome," he spoke the truth in a flirtatious tone. 

"I could get lost in them for hours." Maybe it was a coincidence, but purple was such an expensive color only rich people could wear it. That's why Daibazaal bragged all over it's castle with it, and specially the King, Queen Mean and Prince Douche wore it as sign of power. 

"Perhaps you having violet-ish eyes is a symbol for how rich you're on the inside as a person." He smiled kindly, before that turned to a knowing smirk. 

"So, a kink for dominance and muffling your voice, roger that for next time. Someone happens to love being in control here." He licked his bottom lip before biting it, cheekily checking the prince out.

Keith's flush brightened immediately. He didn't know that word, 'kink', but he could guess its definition from context. Something you liked... sexually. 

Keith had never thought about it in that many words, what he liked in bed. He'd never expected that to be important. 

His future partner and he would only get intimate for purely professional reasons, and pleasure didn't matter so much. He could take care of that himself. 

But he was with Lance now, and Lance had expressed the wish to make him feel good multiple times. Keith was happy to oblige, to tell Lance how to. But.. It was a bit awkward, to talk about things like this. 

"I.. Maybe? I don't know. It's just.." Why had he said that? It was more than the fact Lance knew what to do. More than his own inexperience. He wanted the hunter to grab him, to use him. He trusted Lance with anything, and he was happy to give up control completely. 

"Yes." He looked down in shame and stayed quiet for a while, forcing that stupid blush off his face. 

"My eyes, they're... People say I got them from my mother. She had them too." He smiled softly. How often had he stared at her portrait in the Great Hall, searching desperately for his own face, some sort of proof that she had truly been his mother, that she'd loved him? 

"I think it may be the only thing I got from her, but I'm not sure. I didn't.. I didn't really know her, and very few people will tell me about her." He smiled sadly and found comfort in Lance's expression and the soft squeeze in his hand.

Lance hadn't been waiting for an answer - as usual - when he pointed out explicit things to the prince just for the sake of provoking that bright red and embarrassed expression on his face. 

But hearing the innocent prince trying to respond to that was even more amusing. Usually people hit him lightly, told him he was an idiot or just kept quiet. A very few times he'd gained a response just as, if not even more bold. 

But Keith's reaction? It was so freaking adorable. Plus, Lance loved making people uncomfortable, his prince was no exception. He cocked his head to the side with a small grimace. 

"I understand." He squeezed his hand in return before looking to the front, making sure they were going the right way.

"It's... kind of forbidden for us servants to mention the queen beneath the castle walls, and extremely penalted if done in front of the King's presence... Almost as if he wants her to disappear." He looked back at Keith with a gentle gaze. 

"But people at the village don't think the same. Except in the guards' presence, everyone mentions the queen. They talk about how she did great things for this kingdom, made it grow and flourish. The kingdom was mostly at peace and people were happy, despite not having the best economic life. Some assure they got along with her, that she used to sneak out of her duties to share some time with her people as one of them and loved to play with kids. Give them hope. Hell, even my royalty hating family remembers her as a great woman, and a great ruler." 

He let go of Keith's hand to place it gently on his cheek, caressing it as he looked at him fondly. 

"Everyone says she was kind, generous, caring, that she always wished for the best for her people. She was funny, a merciful but fair and just queen, a good companion, and a great friend. She was beautiful like the sun, and her smile could overturn thousands of hearts. I don't think the apple falls too far from the tree." He giggled. 

"I see her in you, and I know someday everyone will, too."

Keith wasn't sure what had made him melt: Lance's soft words or the tone with which he spoke them. It didn't make the Prince feel sad. On the contrary, hearing about his mother lit something deep within him, like a truth finally confirmed. 

The way Lance described her was exactly how he saw her in his head. Strong, beautiful and kind. He gave Lance a thankful smile. 

"It's good to hear about her. My father, the King... He doesn't want to talk about it. And with me in particular. I think he still blames me." Keith sighed deeply, but didn't turn away or avert his eyes. It hurt less, somehow, now he was talking about it with Lance. 

"No one who actually knew her will talk to me. I know she's my mother, but.. She feels like a stranger to me." 

Lance saw something in him, something that resembled his mother. Of course he cared about his people more than anything else, any good ruler did. 

And some parts of their appearance were familiar too. The Queen had had his pale skin, his sharp features, his length. She'd been a tiny woman, and Keith had inherited none of his father's tall figure.

Keith wanted to be like his mother on one side. He definitely wasn't like his father, and it was nice to have something to hold onto. But on the other hand, the more he looked like his mother, the more the King would despise him. 

"And I'm not sure my smile can 'overturn thousands of hearts', though it does sound awesome." He chuckled and leaned into Lance's touch. 

"It did manage to overturn one, I guess. The only one I care about." He pressed a kiss to Lance's palm and focused on the road ahead again, smiling gently. Talking about his past had never made him feel this calm before. This was nice.

No one daring to mention the queen in fear of the king's wrath made sence, but still no one should be denied the right to hear about their loved ones. Or, well, relatives. 

He chuckled at Keith repeating part of his words, suddenly making him self aware of what would be considered as a dramatic use of words. 

But it was true, and he meant every single one of them. People told him he tended to ramble too much, and he remembered the prince had indeed called him annoying once, but he didn't seem to mind so... He assumed and hoped he hadn't meant it. 

"Every single time," he reassured him, smiling at the little kiss. "You own my heart, my beautiful prince charming." Keith seemed content and it looked like it was easier for him now to talk about this topic, which only made him happier. 

He took his hand again, but this time only laced his pinky with Keith's instead and looked at the road ahead. His hands were as soft as a baby. It wasn't surprising, Keith had probably never had to clean, cook or do more complex chores like fixing stuff, carrying heavy things or working with dangerous tools. 

But that was alright. Lance would've blamed him a few months ago, but now? He knew Keith had his own fights, struggles and battles just like anyone else, just not the same ones as peasants. He just hoped the king would stop blaming him for merely existing one day.

They rode like that for hours, until the sun was high in the sky, chatting all the while. They laughed together, held hands and got to know each other through embarrassing childhood stories. 

Keith was just done telling Lance about the whole shameful crush on Shiro, when he saw the high towers of the kingdom rise up above the tops of the trees. 

They were nearly there. The Palace. Home? Keith had never truly felt at home there. The hunter had told him what his own home felt like. The safety, the love, the feeling of understanding... Keith had none of that. 

Lance had, of course, offered to share, but that was impossible in their current situation. Maybe he would meet them one day in the distant future. 

The Prince closed his eyes for a moment and fought against the feeling of dread threatening to wash over him. You've prepared for this. Lance will be close by. His grip on the other boy tightened a little as a shiver passed through his body. 

"We're nearly there," he breathed, his newfound tension apparent in his voice. 

And moments later they rode out of the trees, and Keith was forced to let go of his boyfriend's hand by the fear of being seen. If anyone saw them like that... The risk was too great. He would need to adjust his body language once again, make it seem like he didn't want to touch the boy next to him. 

What would normal Keith do? A little more distance. Kosmo took a small step aside at his command and he gave Lance the smallest smile, invisible to anyone in the far distance. 

"Alright. Time to fight," he whispered, just hard enough for Lance to hear him.


	28. Burning Pain

The moment Lance could no longer feel Keith's hand was the breaking point between their little adventure and the real word. However, he caught his breath and kept his head high. He would never quiver. Never. Everything would be alright. They could do this. 

He glanced at Keith, and nodded in return with a brave expression. 

The front gates opened up at the near sight of the prince, and Lance knew everyone in the castle was recieving the news of His Majesty's arrival. Another breaking point, where Lance glanced at him one more time before being separated from his prince to leave Kaltenecker in the servant stables. 

He was greeted by a few other workers, who offered to help him unsaddle and unpack his bags. Fortunate enough, because he was so innerly anxious he doubted he could've done any of that on this shaky state. 

He'd been thinking about what to tell Shiro over and over, but he was informed he'd had to take care of some trouble in the west part of the kingdom and it was unknown when he would return. 

What should he do now? He couldn't eavesdrop on the prince and the king, no matter how close he wanted to be. He guessed the best thing he could do for now was shower, change, catch Hunk up and wait until dinner. Yeah, he would do that, while hoping and wishing for Keith to be as safe and sound as possible.

Keith pulled Kosmo to a stop in front of the large castle door, and slid off immediately. His father would want him to deliver a full report of his mission, no matter how tired he was, how defeated he looked. 

He didn't even have to order the servants to take care of his horse and bring his belongings up to his room, but made his way straight to the Kings office where his father would most likely be. 

What was waiting for him there? Punishment, definitely. He had failed in apprehending and killing the rebels, and he'd gotten himself captured. The actions of a fool. 

He looked like one as well. His clothes were dirty and his hair ruffled. At least he was acceptably clean from his bath this morning, though he doubted the king would be much impressed. Nothing to do about it now. 

He knocked on the door, and after a short, hope inducing silence, his father's voice sounded clearly through. 

"Enter." 

Keith closed his eyes for a moment to gather his thoughts, took a deep breath, and opened the door. 

"Father," he began. "I have returned." Yes, that much was obvious. But what more to say? Should he start at the beginning or deliver the news of his failure immediately? 

And so he just stood there, in the middle of the room, his eyes fixed on the King's, and paralysed with fear. This would be bad, but how much so? He'd rarely fucked up this badly before. 

"My mission was.." His voice stuck in his throat, as if his body was prohibiting him from speaking those words, from making the king angry. "I did not manage to kill them. The rebel group was larger than expected, they.. They got away." He held his breath and quickly diverted his gaze to the floor, waiting for the first blow.

The moment the prince entered his throne room with a disgusting look of defeat, the king knew the journey hadn't gone well. 

The days without him had been rather peaceful, and he should admit not listening to his pathetic excuse for a son's constant whining and pity had been relaxing. But for the most part he'd started to get tired of waiting, and now he knew the reason. 

He clenched his fists on his chair's arms, breathing deeply while trying to process what he was just witnessing. 

"Why am I not surprised," he breathed with apparent disappointment and disapproval, his deep, echoing voice prominent in every corner of the room. 

"Look at you, all dirty with that loser expression as if you'd been dragged through the mud." He frowned, finally getting up and slowly walking to the young boy with firm, strong footsteps.

"Must I remind you who you are? Must I remind you, what you were tasked to accomplish?" His expression twisted to one of unhidden disdain, eyes blazing with rage as he grabbed Keith's arms and clenched his grip hard. 

"You are a prince! You are MY son!" he yelled loudly to his face, shaking him with fury in his hands. 

"You had ONE job, yet you're useless as ever, how did I let myself get fooled?! Of course you're not capable of handling a single problem of your own kingdom, you useless piece of shit!" He let go of him with force, almost throwing him to the floor In the process. He was furious. 

"What would your people think, if you can't even defend them from a small threat as this? No one ever gets away. We hunt them, and if they hide, we burn their entire villages to the ground. It has happened before with the thief, if I hear there's a third time, boy, nothing will stop me from start breaking your bones," he spat. 

"You took too long. What the hell were you doing if not doing your job?!" Zarkon sighed, crossing his arms and sighing deeply to try and hold himself together before looking at him again. 

"You will tell me what happened, without excuses, and I'll decide the weight of your punishment."

"Yes, father," Keith breathed, holding his gaze on the ground and trying to keep his voice from shooting up an octave. 

"We- I followed them through the forest. I had the hunter track their trail, and the first day I found their camp." He spoke in singular on purpose. He'd been the leader of the mission, Lance didn't matter in his father's eyes. And it was easier to speak of 'the hunter' than to use Lance's beautiful name. 

"The rebels had abandoned it the previous day, but I estimated their number to be roughly twenty." It felt wrong, taking credit for the things Lance had done, but since the hunter was under his command he had the right to do so. 

"I continued along the trail and arrived at a small town the next day, one that doesn't belong to any kingdom, though I believe it is built on your land. The rebels had stopped there for supplies, and to speech at the celebration the next day. The hunter and I spent the night at the inn where the rebel leader was rumoured to be, though I didn't see him." 

So much more had happened. So much he couldn't tell him father. The Kings iron stare burned the skin on his neck, and he quickly continued. 

"The rumours were true, he was at the rally the next day, talking about corruption and injustice within our and other kingdoms. I.. There were many people who agreed with him. The whole town seemed opposed to the idea of royalty." He took a deep breath. This was going to be the hard part. 

"The plan was to sneak up on the leader, Kolivan, and his accomplice. We- I hadn't counted on backup, however. They somehow spotted me, and I got out of there as fast as I could. All I had on me was a knife. I couldn't have-" 

He stopped. This wasn't the time to defend himself.

"They came after me immediately, on horses. The hunter.. He tried to fight them off, but got injured himself. I got taken." He closed his eyes for a moment in pure shame. He'd known the magnitude of his mistakes, but it seemed somehow worse now he was telling them to his father. 

"They took me to their camp. They call themselves the Blades of Marmora, and claim to have been operating for years, infiltrating and spying within our ranks. They.. They tried to get me to turn on you, on Daibazaal, but I didn't give in. And then.. I escaped. I knew there was no way I'd be able to take the whole group by myself, even with the hunter's help. So I.. I came back." 

Had it been the wrong decision? Going back into the camp and fighting would have surely gotten both him and Lance killed, and he couldn't have let that happen. No, he would just have to deal with disappointing his father. Again. 

The Prince kept his back straight and his head high, even though he felt like breaking right there, in the middle of the room. His eyes flickered up at his father, but then found his boots again, terrified of looking into those dark irises. He'd told him most of the truth, though not everything. But it was everything the king needed to know.

It was hard containing himself from squishing the boy in certain parts of the story, but the king held himself long enough to be able to listen and think with reason. He slowly started to walk around the prince, slow, steady, his footsteps matching the tick of a clock as he started into his skull. 

"I shall admit you've brought me crucial information to determinate where this group was originated, who runs it, and knowing there's a spy on my lands is certainly valuable. You tracked for days, made a good plan of attack, survived, got out alive. I must say you did a good job," he praised him, with something close to recognition, but not quite, and his expression never stopped being grim. His fists clenched as his pace increased. 

"However, Yorak, you did not only underestimate your opponent from the beginning-" He stopped in front of him. "-But you rested too much, hesitated. You left your servant behind. Boy, a prince never surrenders and never abandons their men. A leader falls with their crew, you don't run like the coward you are," he spat. 

"How do you expect me to ever trust you with a batallion when you will let them die at your feet? A prince is a strong as his men, you must show them to respect you, to venerate you. You took too long. You should have been strong enough. You look like no prince, don't act like one, and you're certainly not as skilled," he scowled.

"You must learn honor, duty, to you and your kingdom, Yorak. I assume you know my punishment is adequate and fair for each and every one of your mistakes." 

His eyes glanced at the fire blazing in the fireplace of the room, and he took Keith's arm before slowly starting to walk towards it. 

"You shall think of this not only as a punishment, but a lesson. A lesson that will teach you to be strong. And you will endure it." 

With that said they stopped in front of the flames. The king carelessly lowered his clothes to let his right arm exposed, grabbed it near his elbow and shoved it just above the fire, not low enough so he'd catch fire, but enough to burn him.

Keith didn't struggle. Why would he? He had deserved this, brought it upon himself. He didn't struggle when his father pulled him to the fireplace, didn't struggle when he pulled his shirt down, didn't struggle when he was pushed into the flames. 

The king was right. He should never have left Lance there. The hunter could have died, and it would have been his fault for getting captured and not saving him. 

The moment his arm hung above the fire, the flames started trying to touch him, to lick him with their burning heat. It hurt, sure. His skin was turning red, angry red blisters making his skin boil. The Prince wanted to scream out in pain, pull back. But he didn't. He couldn't have if he wanted to, his father's strong grip keeping him in place. 

So he just stood there, tears in his screwed shut eyes and a scream of pain stuck in his throat. Don't be weak, he told himself. Don't show your pain. Father wants you to be strong. 

The putrid scent of burned flesh drifted through the air, strong and nauseating. His entire lower arm had been tainted by the fire now, bright red and open with sizzling blisters, from his elbow to the palm of his hand, which he tried to keep above the fire. He needed his hands, to fight. 

And then he thought of Lance, and the pain seemed to become more bearable. You have my heart, my Prince charming. What was pain compared to that feeling he felt for Lance? Even though his legs were starting to tremble, his breath came in short gasps through his constricted throat and tears pooled in his eyes, it was nothing, nothing, compared to the sweet hunter boy.

Another half minute of agonising burning, and his father pulled him back to inspect his arm. The Prince took a quivering breath, forcing the tears back in his eyes. This wasn't the time to cry, show him you're strong. Show him you're worth living.

For the king's amazement, the boy didn't start screaming the second his skin made contact with the blazing heat, nor when it started burning his sensitive skin, despite holding it there for longer than he'd first planned to. His face scrunched in heinous pain, of course, but no pleas were heard, and no tears were spilled. 

He yanked his arm back to check if the damage had been made; indeed it had. His dark eyes raised to the pale boy, his face and tone still firm. However, the words that came out this time were different. 

"You have improved, Yorak, I'm quite impressed," he admitted. "Instead of backing away you have endured It like a man, I guess you have become stronger and aren't an entire failure." He let his arm fall, reaching for a certain tool next to the fireplace afterwards. 

"Even so, you still need to make a promise to your kingdom, your duty, and your people." He rotated the heavy tool on the flames, it's heat turning the coal iron a glowing orange-yellow tone. 

"You have to compromise, as a prince." He turned to Keith with the fire poker bright with heat, a scowl on his face and his eyes as empty as always. 

"Take off your shirt and face the wall," he ordered him, straight and clear.

Keith fought for breath, the pain nearly consuming him. The skin on his arms had been almost completely burned away, and he gently held one hand in the other, trying to somehow relief the mindspinning burning. 

It hurt so bad. The Prince wanted to cry, wanted to run away and find solace in Lance's strong embrace. Or else scream for Shiro's help. And then his teary eyes focused on the glowing iron in front of him, and he took a step back. 

"Father, please..." he breathed. There was a breaking point, and he was nearing it at searing speed. 

But the slight hardening in his father's gaze forced the fingers of his one unharmed hand to undo the lace of his shirt and then pull it over his head. The white fabric slowly exposed the slightly whiter, deeply scarred skin of his chest and back. 

He didn't turn around, however, every one of his instincts forcing him to stay alert, not to turn his back on this imminent danger. He cringed at the feel of his shirt scraping over his open skin as it fell to the floor. 

"Father," he repeated. "I tried. I tried so hard to please you. But I.. I can't.." He took another step back, his eyes directed at his father's, for he knew he couldn't bear to look at the metal poker in his hands. 

"Please," he whispered once more. "I'll do anything. Don't.." There was no one Keith would beg to, except for this man. There was nothing else he could do, and a part of him knew his futile attempts at mercy would only anger the man more. A Prince shouldn't beg.

"Please." Zarkon repeated coldly, the grip on the iron poker clenching. "Please?" he said almost with a laugh on disdain, taking slow steps towards the small boy. 

"I don't want you to do something else, I am giving you a direct order as your superior and you have to obey me, as your king. You don't get to call me father just to get away, and you don't get to beg. I thought you were past that, Yorak," he spat, anger building on his face. 

But the prince still didn't move, and a king shouldn't repeat himself twice. With a growl, he grabbed the boy's raven hair and quickly forced him on the wall, pressing his body against it. He heard him groan when his burned arm made contact with it, but that gained nothing positive out of the king. 

"You are a prince, Yorak! Act like It!" he yelled, getting tired of his son's pituful behaviour. "You will stay still if you consider yourself worthy of your life." 

He set the iron edge in place before pressing it against the boy's back, digging the tip on his skin as he started carving a certain symbol, slightly x shaped. He could hear the heat burning it's way across his skin, but he stood still, stood proud.

The screams died in Keith's throat as he pressed his face into the stone wall. He could feel the sharp point cutting his skin apart, could smell the singe, could hear the popping and sizzling as the iron made its way across his back. 

This was worse, definitely worse. He should have just stayed quiet, should have kept his mouth shut. All he could do now was try to stand still as his father carved their kingdom's symbol into the skin of his back. To make him humble. To make him remember. 

The glowing tool shut the cuts immediately, stopping the blood from streaming all over his back. He cut deep, but not deep enough to harm any muscle. The Prince needed that muscle to to fight, to serve his kingdom. Beauty wasn't necessary. 

The young man couldn't stop the tears after a while, which forced their way out of his tightly shut eyes, over his cheeks. There was no use begging, no use fighting. All he could do was stand there, imprisoned between the wall and his father's strong grip, and suffer the consequences of his failures. 

When the king was finally done and his grip loosened, Keith couldn't stop himself from falling to his knees, which no longer had the strength to support him. A bright burning covered the entirety of his back, and his hurt arm only added to that pain. 

No more, please, he begged in his head, though he didn't say it out loud. No more pain. He just wanted Lance, wanted protection and safety and some kind of relief. 

After a few seconds, he pushed himself to his feet again, panting and leaning against the wall, not daring to look at his father. No more.

The tool was placed back where it belonged before the king took a moment to admire his rather fine work. Years and years of signing with that symbol had created perfect symmetric lines on his son's back, which meant... 

"You should be proud," he stated. "Proud of the kingdom's mark laying on your skin. Perhaps that way the sense of duty will finally get to you." 

He raised an eyebrow, watching how he'd fallen and gotten up with shaky legs. Unacceptable. 

"A prince never falls for so long. You will learn how to stand up, for you and your people, no matter what." He would thank him one day, if the day where he turned to be a good ruler ever came. 

Without warning he grabbed his nape, made him grab his shirt and walked him out of the room with firm, quick, strong steps. The guards outside immediately eyed the prince's state with wide eyes, for a split second seeming truly horrified, before they had to contain their feelings and neutralize their neutral expression at the king's approach. 

"Take this spoiled kid to his room and chain him to the bedpost right away," he ordered, pushing his son to the shocked guards without awaiting for their questions. "Immediately," he repeated, confirming they had no right to touch nor treat his wounds In any way. The guards took a fist to their chest and bowed down slightly before grabbing the prince and doing as they were told.

Keith's face and body gave away nothing of the excruciating pain he was in. He just stared ahead of himself, into the hallways through which he was pushed, his expression completely neutral, as though he was taking a nice walk in the gardens. He'd been weak enough, crying and whining like a goddamn baby. 

The quick pace at which they moved sent spikes of blinding pain through his back, but luckily neither of the guards touched his injured arm. 

He knew these men. He'd looked down at them at the guards presentation not even a week ago. And now they dragged his weak, nearly limp body through the Castle to tie him up in his own room. 

Keith had known his punishment wouldn't just be a few minutes of intense pain. It would take hours, days, until his father could be satisfied with the severity of harm done to the Prince.

One of the guards sped away in the other direction as the other two let Keith enter his room, letting go of him, but staying close. He wouldn't run away anyway. 

They seemed to feel uncomfortable, looking at their feet and each other, trying to decide the smart thing to do. And of course, that was listening to his father. They always did. 

A few minutes later, the third man came back with an iron chain, strong, thick cuffs on either side. He looked at Keith apologetically, but the boy stuck out his arms without hesitation. They were just doing they jobs. Resisting in any way would cause them harm. 

The guard clicked the left cuff around his wrist and locked it shut, before pulling Keith with him next to the bed and swinging the chain over the bedpost. It wasn't really long enough, and the prince had to stand on his toes for them to be able to chain the other wrist as well. 

And god, that hurt. The cold metal pulled against his bright red flesh, where the skin had burned away on his wrist. He whimpered softly, closing his eyes against the pain. This was gonna be hard. 

His stomach gave a loud growl and he swallowed twice to try to get rid of the dry taste of blood in his mouth. How long would he have to stay like this? A night? Two? A week? His wounds would get infected if they didn't get cleaned. It would kill him. 

Just keep fighting. Do it for Lance. 

After making sure the chains were locked tightly and the prince wasn't able to escape, the guards left him alone in the room, closing the door behind them. It was just as bad as he'd feared.


	29. Typical Teenage Drama

"Where's Yorak? I heard he has finally returned."

The hunter had taken his first decent shower in weeks at the knight's sanitary and changed into one of his uniforms before going to greet Hunk and catch up. 

The cook had told him the time they stayed away, Lotor had bossed everyone around like his own subdicts and tried to steal more power from the prince. The king had stretched their stay in the castle due to the wedding topic still hanging, and Hunk had befriended the servant Romelle. 

When it was Lance's turn to speak, Hunk instantly sensed the change in his friend, and once he knew about Keith he was both happy and worried. Mostly concerned due to the danger it meant and how quick and easily everything could go down of they were caught. 

He still had his own doubts about this overly gentle prince he'd never seen with his own eyes - don't get him wrong, he trusted Lance enough to know he'd never date a bad person, but the person was the problem. 

He'd seen Lance's heart breaking bit by bit with every heartbreak and didn't want the same to happen this time, specially when Lance, for the first time, seemed to be genuinely in love. 

Dinner came, and he ate with Hunk before going with him to the royal table - he hadn't hunted anything from that dinner, but no one would ask him anyway. He needed to be there to see Keith.

But every royal member started eating.  
And Keith wasn't there. Where was he? He was innerly panicking at the thought of him not being physically healthy enough to come down, or worse, what if he...? 

He shook that thought out of his head. The king couldn't kill him, regardless of how much he wanted to. 

But then the queen finally asked for Lance's own questions, and he kept his eyes nailed to the prince awaiting for his response.

" You have been told right, Honerva. He has returned..." He scowled at the wine in his hand before drinking. "Empty-handed. His mistakes are much bigger than the information he provided me. He showed lack of understanding regards duty and sacrifice, he will be grounded until further notice."

Lance's eyes widened as his insides twisted and clenched painfully. Grounded how? How? What had he done to his prince? 

As the king took the glass to his lips he could spot marks of fire exposure on his hand, recent, marks. Did that mean..? 

He dug his nails onto his own hands, clenching his teeth as his breathing increased. He would end him. He swore to god if he hurt Keith...! 

Hunk's hand stopped him from doing anything stupid, giving him a reassuring look while trying to calm him down. 

However, nothing on earth could've possibly stopped him from running out the room as soon as the dinner had ended and into the nursery, where he borrowed a few things before running to the forest with a bag.

The moment the moon was high in the sky, Lance had already taken certain plants and saved them along the medicine on his waist bags, pulled his mask up and carefully made his way across the castle walls. 

Between the guard change, he snuck close to that certain tower, grabbed his iron arrows and started climbing the rocky surface pace by pace. His muscles still hurt from not getting enough rest those days and a few moments he felt like letting go, but he couldn't, not because falling from that height could be a potential death, but because he needed to check in what state his prince was. 

He climbed and climbed until his hands impulsed him up the balcony and his feet touched ground again, making him sigh. He couldn't see very well from that distance, so he quietly pushed one of the doors open, stepped iin, and as the clouds moved to allow the moonlight hit the room...

His heart stopped. His perplexed eyes slowly gathered tears, and his hands raised to his heart in horror. 

"Keith..." he whispered, almost out of breath.

Keith was shivering. His room had been empty for days, the fire long extinguished and the freezing cold sneaking in through the walls. 

After about two hours, his arms and hands had grown numb from lack of blood, and when the sun sunk behind the horizon the cool air had increased. The dusty air stung in his injuries. The open wound on his arm was nearly unbearable, every light brush of wind making him cringe in pain. The metal cut into his open skin with unrelenting pressure. 

The Prince couldn't see what was on his back, but felt the occasional trickle of blood slip down into the waistband of his trousers, from where the wound hadn't been burned closed. And it was that back that was on full display now, shining in the moonlight, the mark just as clear as on the banners hanging from the Castle wall. 

Keith didn't react at first, thinking it was some trick of his mind, making him believe Lance was really here to save him. But his lulling head slowly moved when he heard his name a second time. 

He couldn't turn around in this position, his hands pulled so high above his head, forcing him to stand on his toes for hours now to prevent the cuffs from cutting even harder into his skin and possibly breaking his wrists. 

But he couldn't have imagined that slight tremble in the voice, couldn't have imagined the soft gasp of horror behind him. 

"Lance..." he croaked, his voice broken like the rest of his body. "Lance." And the tears broke through once more. His Lance was here. He'd come to save him, to support him. His Lance.

His sight was blurry with tears. The hunter could barely believe what was in front of his eyes; the shirtless body of his lover outrageously hanging with chains like some kind of criminal, a bizarely clean carved burn on his back now dripping thin threads of blood and part of his right arm covered with burns. Lance could only guess it was worse on the inside. 

And his broken voice? He didn't know what to feel, too shocked and horrified and angry and pained to really feel anything other than needles pricking his heart. The fact that had been done by his own father was so wrong on so many levels... 

However, Lance didn't hesitate for a second and hurried to face him, his blue eyes unable to hide how absolutely chaotic his insides were right now. 

"My god..." he whispered with pain, his heart only clenching even more at Keith's numb and hurt expression. 

He pulled down his mask and glanced for a second at his arm, now being able to see the level of damage. 

"You'll be alright, okay baby? Everything will be fine...!" he reassured him with a nervous, anxious smile before reaching to look at the handcuffs. 

The chain had Keith standing on his toes, it would hurt if he unchained him like this. Unchain him, yes, because he couldn't allow him to stay like this. The next shift was hours away, so he had time to make some moves without trouble. 

He hurried to take one of the thickest books on the prince's shelf before returning and pushing it under his feet, allowing him to stand properly. 

Now that his hands were a bit more loose, the brunette reached to hold his right handcuff as gently as he could and took out a small tool from his pocket. He inserted the sharp lockpick in it and moved it slowly, patiently waiting to hear one click after another, until he heard all three and the handcuff opened. 

He took it off and proceeded to repeat the process with the other before checking the prince's state once more, quickly holding him as his legs threatened to give up on him.

Keith's eyes fluttered in pain as he fell into his lovers arms. The burning seemed... numbed, by his extreme exhaustion. 

He let Lance slowly lower him to his knees, where he lay against the hunter's chest, just to breathe for a while. It hurt. Everything hurt so bad. After a few minutes, his weak voice broke their silence. 

"I didn't... I didn't expect him to go this far. He's never.. He has rarely done anything like this before." Sure, there were some times that could rival this, but the injuries he sported now, the pain he felt, it was different. The king usually avoided leaving scars, preferring to harm the boy with bruises or broken bones, so that when it healed nothing could be seen anymore.

But this time, this time he'd scarred him purposely. He wanted everyone to see, to know, to remember. He wanted Keith to learn. He was a servant to his kingdom, and should give them his all. And he would. 

He pulled back a little, whimpering as the movement sent spikes of pain through his cut back. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes half lidded, his lips dry and cut, and overal looking terrible. A part of him, deep within, felt ashamed of showing himself like this. He looked pathetic, hurt and crying. Yes, he was crying. The slow tears cut tracks through the sweat and dust on his face. 

"You shouldn't be here," he choked. "You can't.. You can't help me, not like this." If Lance did anything, if he fed him or left him untied or treated his wounds, his father would know and go after him. He couldn't let them find him in any other state than they'd left him in. 

"I'm so sorry. I can't.." How was he supposed to apologise for pissing off his father, for making him hurt him? How was he supposed to feel sorry for his assailant? He wasn't... sorry. His father had done the right thing, in his own belief. Keith deserved it, definitely. He had made mistakes, so he got punished. That's the way it worked. 

But he also felt like this may have been too much, somehow. He had never intended to leave Lance behind in the forest. It wasn't his fault he got taken before helping the hunter, right?

The time Lance spent with the prince on his arms allowed him to get a close look of his burned back, obviously done with a sharp boiling hot tool. He was still bleeding, and his red mistreated skin screamed for some kind of relief. 

Only so many images went through his head when Keith suggested the king was fully capable of doing similar things, which made him scowl in anger. 

"Why am I here?" he scoffed. "You can't expect me to leave you like this, my love. I've been worried sick since we went apart," he murmured softly, raising his hands to cup his cheeks and gently wipe the tears away, looking into his eyes while trying to hide his worry and pain. 

"What are you sorry for...?" He sighed, already guessing where this was going. "Keith, whatever your father has told you or made you believe, whatever sick ways he's used to convince you it's your fault? It's not. No thing could possibly make someone deserve this kind of punishment, Keith, and you've done nothing wrong. You tried, we tried, and we'll get another chance, alright?" he explained softly. 

"No one will find about this, alright? But I have to clean your wounds or they'll get infected."

Without awaiting for his approval he laced his arm under the prince's - avoiding to touch the burn - and down his knees to scoop him up and take him to the bathroom. 

He sat him on the towel's side table and set a few candles to give the dark room a bit of light, before looking around and realizing how freaking expensive all that should be; for starters, the tub, unlike their wooden ones, appeared to be made from a fine punished material like every single piece of furniture there. It was excessively big for a bath, bigger than Lance's living room and kitchen altogether, and every little item and gold decorations on the crimson walls were clearly rich as well. 

He turned on the tempered water and let it run for a bit while turning to Keith and reaching for his pants - stopping himself in the moment. 

"Uh... Can I?" he asked doubtfully, like they hadn't gone completely intimate the night before. But Keith needed to get warmer, despite proceeding to clean his wounds with cold water later on.

Keith groaned and nodded, fighting to keep his eyes open. If he passed out now, he would fall on the floor and he could only imagine how much that would hurt. The short trip from his bedroom to the bathroom had split open a cut on his back and thicker streams of blood coloured his skin. 

Keith couldn't figure out what hurt worse: the wide but shallow, blistered and stinging burn on his forearm, or the deep, scabbed over mark on his back. Both. They both hurt so much. But even more was the knowledge that he'd brought it upon himself. 

But then Lance's words properly infiltrated his mind. Maybe... Maybe the hunter was right. He had tried his best, right? That should have been enough. 

His good hand undid the buttons on his pants and struggled pulling them down, since he really, really didn't want to stand up. He couldn't have if he wanted to. His legs muscles had given up on him, all he could do was cling onto Lance and tried not to fall off the little side table. 

Keith's spinning mind couldn't comprehend why Lance had asked for permission. Sure, he was the Prince, but he'd seen him naked before, right? Besides, there was nothing even remotely sexual about this situation. 

Keith just wanted to cry, wanted the pain to end, wanted to fall asleep in his lovers arms. But could he sleep in the bed? When the guards found him next morning, how would he explain how he got loose, all alone in a high tower room. 

Keith lay his forehead against Lance's shoulder in the hope of making the world stop spinning, still shivering violently. He couldn't figure out where to hold his injured arm, and it was exhaustion to constantly hold it up. But he couldn't put it down. 

It hurt, so badly. Everything hurt and burned and shook and the prince just wanted it to stop. 

"Make it stop," he breathed. His voice was close to begging, while his left hand clenched itself around Lance's shirt. 

"Please, make it stop."

Lance had pulled off his clothes when he heard the weak whimper, making his heart ache painfully. "Shh.. Hold on just a bit longer, love. It will be alright," he repeated softly, taking off his own coat and gloves before lifting him again and gently sitting him on the warm water. 

He noticed how Keith flinched when it made contact with the cut on his back, but he continued to murmur soft words of encouragement in hopes of distracting him as he handed him a few green herbs from his pocket. 

"Eat this, it'll numb a big part of the pain. It may take a few minutes to start doing effect but once it does it should last all night," he explained, remembering how his sister Veronica used that plant for each time he broke a bone or was in pain for other reasons. 

He then took the - incredibly fancy and never seen before - shower head, changed the water from warm to cold and took Keith's right arm as gently as he could, avoiding to touch the burned parts. 

"This will soothe the wound but will hurt at first, you have to hold on, ok?" he asked him, looking into his eyes before setting the running water on his arm. He felt his arm reacting, trying to move away from the pain, but he held it in place despite the prince's whimpers and cries. This had to be done.

Keith chewed as fast as he could, hoping the strange herb would numb his nerves before he fainted. It stung like crazy, and when the sut and dirt cleaned away, the true damage was revealed. A thin layer of white had started to cover the wound, as a see through fleece, protecting his bare muscles. 

The deep, primal sounds coming from Keith's throat reverberated through the room, echoing over the marble furniture. But Lance was right. A few minutes later, the pain started to numb, sink into a deep, burning background feeling. And so did everything else. 

The world seemed to have slowed down, Lance's touch seeming to be lighter, his voice as though underwater. The Prince closed his eyes, let his worries wash away like the opague water in the tub. The blood and sweat and grime had given it a reddish brown colour, but Keith was slowly getting cleaner. 

The pain in his back was nothing more than a distant throbbing now, and his tears had dried as well, washed away by the stream. 

"Thank you," he breathed, a singsong like tone to his voice. Lance had saved him, again. How was he supposed to repay this? He held his arm out of the water, knowing it was too dirty and would cause infection. 

"But why are you here? How did you know I.. I.." He closed his eyes again and waited for his head to stop spinning. "That I needed help?"

After twenty minutes of the cold water soothing the burn, Lance unplugged the tub so the water could run, before plugging it again and started filling It with clean water. He set the shower head in a way it would now run through the burn of his back, noticing how it had momentarily stopped bleeding due to the water pressure. Showering Keith with soap could be too risky and perhaps a dead giveaway, but the water would do for now. 

"You weren't at the dinner table," he explained, taking a small bottle out of one of his pockets. "Queen Honerva asked where you were and the King said... he'd grounded you for discipline meassures. Which is bullshit," he spat with traces of anger in his tongue, taking a generous amount of cream on his hand before saving the bottle again. 

"His hand looked like it'd been recently exposed to heat, and I placed my best bet." He held Keith's pale, now reddish arm once more as gently as before and started applying it to the burn and blisters as carefully as he could. 

"This antibiotic will prevent it from getting infected and speed up the healing process, let it dry until your skin takes it in completely and is no longer seen," he explained, leaning it on the tub's arm to proceed to gently caress his cheek as the water did it's thing on his back.

"I didn't know what to expect. I... I really thought he'd gone overboard for a moment." He grimaced, remembering how he'd run to grab plenty of things in case the King had left Keith's limbs or face with third degree burns. What not to expect from a monster that had publictly tortured his own people? 

"It wouldn't be the first time. The king has some sick obsession with fire." And boy his village, his family, even himself had suffered the consequences. It was no coincidence he knew just what to do when It came to burns. He run his fingers through the prince's raven hair with worry In his eyes. 

"I really thought he'd- he'd left you in a much worse state. I was worried you couldn't even move." He whispered with hurt. "I was so worried..." 

A hesitant smile curved Keith's lips, half thankful and half reassuring. "I'll be fine," he breathed. "It just.. It kind of hurt. I guess." That was an understatement. Even now his body and mind was numbed with painkillers, it burned like hell. 

"I told you I'd have to pay for messing up like that. It was my fault we got seen, and it was my fault I got captured. If I wasn't so stupid.." He sighed. 

"But you don't have to worry about him killing me, no matter what I do. My death would only carry bad consequences. The union with Arus would be off. Our kingdom would no longer have an heir, and chosen leaders often carry less respect. I have been raised to rule Daibazaal, and though I'm far from perfect, I am one of the few who could. So don't worry. He'll only... hurt me a little. I am the Prince, after all. I can't afford to make mistakes, and my father knows this, and tries to teach me. And he rarely does any permanent damage. Visible scars wouldn't be a good mark on a Prince who's never fought a war." 

He gave a hesitant smile and pulled a hand through his hair. "You should be more careful, though. I know I told you to come to my room anytime, but don't risk too much. I'm not worth your suffering, and I wouldn't be able to handle your death." He reached for Lance's hand and took it tightly in his own, closing his eyes to stop the flashing lights that weren't really there. 

"I love you too much to lose you." His eyes fluttered open and found Lance's, exhaustion and fondness flowing out of them. "I love you, baby." 

Lance couldn't help frown at the times Keith sounded like defending the king's actions and motives, as well as him driving the guilt back to himself, but decided to let him talk until the end. It was kind of funny how Keith still thought of him when it was him who was hurting right now, however his last sentences did manage to get to his heart and warned to make the previous tears flow again. 

"I love you too," he repeated, almost in a whisper, a shaky smile quirking his mouth before he leaned to press a kiss to his wet forehead. 

"I love you too much to just let you like this without doing anything. You understand, right? Despite knowing you won't... Die, it- it still hurts." He gulped. 

"I'm being careful. I know the guard's shifts by memory, I've broken in plenty of times. And no one will actually enter 'till morning. I have it under control," he murmured, looking back at him with a reassuring gaze before closing the running water and moving to take a look at his back.

He took more of the antibiotic ointment and dried his back before smearing it over the burned surface before it started bleeding again. 

"It wasn't your fault," he repeated firmly. "It just happened, we couldn't have known the group would be that big. It took us by surprise, that could've happened to anybody. You're human, remember?" 

He let the water run through the tub and carefully lifted Keith in his arms once more to sit him back on the side table and dry his arms, chest, down his legs and ruffled his hair as well, every movement being gentle and caring. 

He helped him put on his boxers and pants once more - he had to be exactly like they'd left him - and wrapped a bandage around his torso to apply pressure on the wound so it would stop bleeding. Once tied, Lance took off his cloak and wrapped it around the prince, before scooping him in his arms and taking him back to the room, sitting him on the bed afterwards.

Keith had closed his eyes while in Lance's arms, cringing at every movement. The herbs had worked perfectly, but the intensity of his injuries still managed to make him shiver and whimper. Lance was so kind and sweet and gentle, never hurting him more than he had to. 

His eyes fluttered open once more when he was safely seated on his thick blankets, cursing himself for nearly having fallen asleep. The exhaustion of today was weighing him down. He would have had no trouble staying up until way after midnight, if it hadn't been for everything that had happened today. Mostly, what had happened in his father's office. 

His body was trying to heal itself by consuming energy at an alarming rate, feeding off the nutrients he didn't have. The bath had washed away the dirt, but it left the hunger, the thirst, the exhaustion. He took a shaky breath and looked into Lance's eyes. 

"You should probably chain me back up. They have to find me like that. I.." Keith was having trouble keeping his eyes open, hiding a jawn by biting his bottom lip. "Thank you for taking care of me, Lance," he breathed, and then he lay his hands on the boy's shoulder and tried to pull himself up. It didn't work. 

He couldn't put any pressure on his hurt arm, and his legs didn't really work anymore. His 'standing' consisted of clinging onto Lance, trying to get his feet beneath him properly, whimpering nearly inaudibly in pain.

"Woah- slow down, tiger." Lance stopped him before he would try anything stupid, kicking off his own boots before crawling on the bed and getting Keith back down as well. 

"You don't need to thank me, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't push yourself yet." He took his bag and handed him a sandwich with tomato, lettuce, cheese and turkey, along a canteen with fresh water. 

"Eat first, then we'll talk." He allowed the prince to take a few bites on his system while thinking, his eyes nailed on the chains hanging from the bedpost. Its contrast against how oddly comfortable that royal bed felt was unsettling, making the brunette frown. That was just beyond sadistic, beyond what any rational mind could comprehend. 

He was lowkey more and more convinced that man they called 'King' must not be in the position of ruling over the kingdom, but what could he do about that? He sighed. 

'You should probably chain me back up'. He glanced at Keith, who seemed to be keeping himself awake due to the delicious scent of roasted turkey, and thought. Chaining him back up was the wise thing to do, their only option. Otherwise he could get the prince in trouble. 

But the mere thought of chaining him again with his own hands and leaving him hanging like that... It sent a sour flavor of dread to his stomach. 

"I know I have to chain you." He spoke with regret. "And I... I will, but not now. You have to rest. Finish your food and come here." He motioned, leaning against the bunch of puffy pillows with spreaded legs so Keith would lay on his chest. S

leeping upside down would be the wisest thing to do, any other position could make him accidentally roll on his back and that wouldn't be good. He saw the disagreement on the prince's eyes, but just returned him a calm, reassuring gaze. "Just trust me."

Keith hesitated for a moment longer. People could come in. Sure, the guards wouldn't revisit him until early in the morning, but what if his father came back? What if Shiro came in? What if anything went wrong? No one could find Lance here, the sleeping Prince in his lap. 

But as the sweet meat and tomato filled his stomach, the thick and undeniable pressure of sleep washed over him. 

"Just.. Just for a moment," he breathed, his half lidded eyes betraying his completely drained energy. He yawned again and lowered himself slowly onto Lance's chest, the hunter assisted him to compensate for Keith's useless arm. He groaned as that hand lay down next to him, making sure not to touch anything. 

The moment his head hit that soft chest, the last of his resistance slipped away and he was out. The mark on his back stuck out of the bandage at the top, spikes of cut skin tainting his pale shoulders.

His breathing got steadier, deeper, and he dreamt of following something, not sure what it was. He could see the creature's tail slipping at the end of corridors as he ran and ran, trying to catch it. 

He came past his father's office, where the door stood ajar. There was a sound coming from within, so Keith pushed the door open. 

And there she sat, her dark hair falling over her pale face as she sang to someone in a crib. Her smile seemed to light up the entire room, her love for the child nearly tangible in the air. 

Keith pushed the door further open, though she didn't seem to notice. A few more steps allowed him a look inside the crib, where a tiny little baby giggled and waves his tiny fists in the air. His dark, wavy hair lay around him, way longer than normal baby hair. And then he opened his eyes, and Keith's heart jumped. The bright purple so resembled his own.

It was him, and his mother loved him so, so much. His sad smile broke through his sleep, and he didn't notice the pain as he sat down and stared at the woman, who had now taken the baby boy in her arms, for a long, long time.

The hunter remained awake as he noticed the changes from pained to calm and comfortable from the prince, one hand gently stroking his ravenette half dried hair, combing through the tangles and smoothing out the knots with a soft hum. His other hand layed way under his burn on his hip bone, and he traced the zone from time to time. 

Despite still being tired and sleep deprived he didn't have to fight to mantain himself awake as his concerns for the prince were way bigger. At least Keith seemed to have calmed down in his dreams, and his breathing was deep and steady. 

To keep himself busy, his eyes curiously wandered around the room and what he could see with the faint moonlight; the enormous bookshelves, a dressing table, a door to what he could only guess lead to a room with the same purpose of a wardrobe, only it was an entire room, a fine piano and other details that gave away just how exclusive a prince's room was. 

A fancy sword hung on the wall, and its shiny stones glittered from across the room. It looked heavy, but he knew Keith was strong enough to lift it. Being realistic, anyone would kill to have a single item of that room. A small cologne bottle would be enough to provide a new set of clothes for Lance's entire family. 

However he no longer had the impulses of taking anything from that room. It seemed pointless at this rate. Whatever way of earning things that wasn't honourable disgusted him. 

He continued entertaining himself through the night until sunrise was near and the dark sky was now turning a lighter shade of blue. The time had come. It wasn't like Keith would continue hanging all day. 

The guards would probably unchain him so he could shower and iniciate his morning routine, studies and training, right? They would also heal his wounds, right? They would. Maybe Keith wouldn't be chained anymore. Lance truly hoped so. 

"Keith" he whispered softly with a small - yet sad - smile, brushing the prince's bangs gently. "Cariño, es hora de despertar."

Keith groaned as the image of the woman and her baby faded from his mind, to be replaced by the still dark room and the slow rise and fall of Lance's chest. Keith's smile didn't fade, however. Even when the throbbing of his back increased, the herbs nearly having lost their effect, he couldn't help but feel good when he opened his eyes and was greeted by Lance's beautiful face, lit by the early morning light. 

"Buenos días, mi amor," he breathed. Spanish had always been one of his favourite languages, and speaking it to Lance was something else. It didn't compare, however, to the sound of Lance using his mother tongue with hím. That was truly something else. 

He smiled softly, though his face contorted when a particularly violent spike of pain passed through his back. That would take a while to heal. Then his eyes widened a little. 

"Shit. What time is it? How long did I sleep? I told you to wake me up." He closed his eyes to prepare for the pain and pushed himself up, ignoring the strong burning coming from the mark. "You need to get out of here. They will-" 

He cried out in pain as a strong surge of pain passed through him, disabled his speech for a few seconds. All he could do was let it pass, the room spinning in front of him. 

"Leave," he croaked, when he finally found his voice again. 

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, but didn't stand up as he'd planned, too afraid to fall on the floor again. In the distance, he could hear the rest of the Castle waking up, the guards and servants who started preparing their breakfast. Soon enough, they would come to his room, check to see Keith's condition. 

Probably. His father's intention was still unclear. How long was the Prince supposed to be grounded?

The moment the prince talked back in his language made Lance's expression light up completely, a smile rising along a soft blush and a fluttering heart. Four words. It had taken four words for Keith to cause this reaction, and boy Lance loved it. 

Spanish sounded just as fluid through his lips, but it was different. It was Keith's. My, what he would do to be greeted like that in the morning every day. But then Keith was pulled to reality, dragging the brunette along. 

"Calm down," he requested the prince as he stirred awake. "It's early morning, before sunrise, and I did wake you up after you'd rested," he stated. "How did you expect me to wake you up earlier when you looked like you were having such nice dream?" 

He stretched his arms and moved to get up and head to the bathroom. He quickly cleaned any remaining blood drops on the floor and tub, put everything in its place and returned to grab and save his water canteen and return the book to its shelf. Alright, what else? 

He put on his gloves while walking back to the prince, his heart on his fist, and bent down to take the coat from him and put it on. After that he proceeded to unwrap the bandaged as carefully as he could, and luckly, the wound seemed to have closed, or at least the bleeding had stopped. 

He could hear noises in the distance as well, the signal he had to get moving. He'd prepared for this literally all night, how hard could It be?

He let Keith swing his arm around his neck and helped him to stand up as well as he could, letting him regain some force on his legs before slowly walking him to the bedpost again.

His eyes trailed to the heavy handcuffs shining with the nearing light. His heart stopped. He swallowed to moist his suddenly dry throat, holding Keith with one arm as his free hand reached, hesitated, but eventually took one of them. 

They felt cold and firm to his gloved touch. Too cold. The room suddenly felt cold. He was frozen. Why couldn't he move? His heart was starting to beat faster, making his breathing turn audible. Lance snapped his eyes back at those indigo ones, his own expression not leaving to imagination how absolutely troubled and paralyzed and conflicted and hurt he felt for having to do this. 

He didn't want to, he couldn't, even if it was for a short time, he couldn't chain the love of his life like this. It was physically painful. 'Please,' his eyes screamed. 'I don't want to hurt you...!' 

Keith felt every single one of the emotions coursing through Lance, and wished this wasn't necessary. But it was. 

If he didn't, his father would find out someone had helped him. He could never have gotten loose on his own. The king was smart enough to tie his escape together with the only person who had ever climbed the castles towers, and the search for the thief would be revived. Keith would be under constant supervision, and Lance wouldn't be able to visit him again. 

So, no matter how much it hurt, he gave Lance an encouraging smile. 

"Don't worry. It won't take long. It's just temporary." It wasn't really a lie, but he couldn't say it with complete conviction. He didn't know how long his father would keep him here. 

His arms, tightly swung around Lance's neck to stay upright, pulled him closer and pressed their lips together. It wasn't passionate or dramatic. It was sweet, and forgiving, and loving. And way too short. He gave Lance a smile that fit with the kiss, but with a gentle hint of sadness in the quiver of his lips. 

"Come on, we don't have a lot of time. It doesn't matter, Lance. It doesn't mean anything, and you could never hurt me. You've saved me." He pressed another sweet kiss on the hunter's lips and slowly lifted his arms, masking the pain coursing through his shoulders as the skin there shifted. 

"It's okay."

It was not. It was not okay. A crystal layer lingered on the hunter's blue eyes, feeling like breaking with each short kiss. He longed for nothing more but to stew on that feeling, to take his prince away from that tower and save him from the evil dragon that slept inside, but he knew he couldn't.

Keith was right, right? It didn't mean anything. It didn't, yet being the one to... He pushed his worries to the back of his mind, closed his eyes, breathed deeply and repeated Keith's reassuring words on his mind as he placed the first handcuff around the prince's left wrist, clicking it shut and locking it with the lockpick before shifting his hands to the other. 

Keith was already standing on his toes, looking at him in await. Lance chewed on his lower lip as his heart shrunk the size of a peanut, whispering a barely audible 'I'm sorry' before repeating the process on his right wrist. 

Once locked, he saved the small tool on his pocket and quickly headed to fix the slightly ruffled blankets and pillows before returning to the prince. He hadn't wanted to look.

But he did, and god that sight hurt. It hurt just as much as it had last night, if not even worse, now knowing he'd been the one to put his lover through this. He averted his gaze to wipe a tear rolling down his cheek, clenching his fist and his lips quivering violently. 

It wasn't okay. Nothing about this was okay. He heard more people getting active in the castle, and he knew if he didn't leave now he wouldn't be able to. He approached his prince, another tear tracing his cheek as he leaned his forehead against Keith's own, his eyes shut close. 

"Everything will be alright," he murmured, raising his hands to brush Keith's face gently. "Just hold on. Be careful... I'll see you soon," he breathed, placing one last kiss on his forehead before pulling his mask up and rushing to the balcony, not daring to look at Keith's back before descending the stone little by little. 

He only had a few minutes before the shift guard passed through, he'd have to be quicker and stay in the shade. Rebellious tears still moistened his face as if their souls were connected, as if his lover's suffering was his own.


	30. Mother Knows Best

Keith closed his eyes as he heard the balcony door close behind his short salvation. 

As soon as he knew Lance couldn't hear him, he let out one, short sob, his shoulders shaking in pain and grief. It hurt so much, though the Prince wasn't sure if the pain was caused by his injuries or the departure of his lover. His Lance. 

But there were no tears on his face, he didn't cry. He couldn't. Guards would soon be here, and showing weakness to outsiders was strongly discouraged. So he took a few deep breaths and attempted to suppress the pain. It didn't really work. 

At least there were no tears when, a few minutes later, the door opened to admit a bunch of guards who's names Keith didn't know. 

Why wasn't Shiro there? The commander would have done something, would have helped him somehow. 

The guard in charge awkwardly cleared his throat and looked glanced up at the Prince before looking down again. "Prepare for the arrival of the King." 

Keith nearly wanted to laugh. How was he supposed to prepare? 'Oh sorry, just let me fix my hair. How do I look?' 

But he wiped the amused expression off his face as the familiar footprints approached, and he forced himself straighter on his feet. Don't show him Lance was here. Let him think you were alone all night. He looked up as the feet stopped in front of him. 

"Father," he spoke, a slight crack to his voice. Emotions rushed through him, but none of them showed on his face. 

How was he supposed to feel? He had always been fine with it, accepted the pain that came with his position. But Lance had shown him something else. Maybe it wasn't completely his own fault... 

He was sad, and angry, and incredibly in love. But his face just showed submission, and a little bit of curiosity as to what would happen next.

"I hope you have already meditated on your actions and the meaning behind your punishment. After all, I gave you plenty of time to think last night," the king stated firmly, looking down at the scene the boy was in. 

"Pitiful," he scoffed in disapproval. "Such deplorable state must have had implemented sense of duty in you, am I correct?" 

He took special care in analizing Keith's tone when he replied in agreement, staring at those eyes he so terribly loathed, the eyes that haunted him day and night like a ghost of the past. 

Of course his son couldn't look worse than that, but for some reason Zarkon could've sworn that tiredness and fear just weren't there. Perhaps because it was the first night and Keith was trying to prove himself worthy of redeeming. It had to be that. 

"However you shall show me how truly compromised and effective you can be, how hard you are willing to work for your kingdom. Therefore after being deep in thought, I've concluded you shall work through the day filling the castle's paperwork, from royal documents to politics, events, laws, give consent to certain actions and keep in touch with our kingdom's representatives and their individual conflicts. I will try to gather some spare time to advise your progress and see if you are mature enough to run real business." 

He steadily walked around him to take a look at his back. Just as he'd left it. 

"Due to work the rest of your schedule will be on hold, including most foods and training, until the Commander gets back. You shall get your wounds treated, but if you mess up again, trust me to burn them open once more." 

He warned the prince behind him as he walked around to face him again. "You shall be chained at night until further notice, your punishment will be how I see fit and that is not negotiable."

Keith didn't turn down his gaze this time, but kept staring ahead, in some sort of silent defiance. 

His punishment was about what he'd expected. Little food, that was logical. It was a relief to hear his wounds would get treated properly, though. If it got infected... 

He forced himself higher on his toes, just to make the chain stop hurting his wrist, and ignoring the cramps in his feet. 

Paperwork wasn't too bad. He'd handled small things like that before, and he was adequate at it. Too bad he would be chained at night again. It was difficult to get rest when you were suspended in mid air, trying not to break your wrists. But, like always, he would survive. He would fight. 

"Yes, father," he spoke, his tone clear and with just a spark of rebelliousness, though he wasn't sure anyone could hear it. It was like Lance had left something with him, something valuable. Hope. And right now, it was causing him to stare into his father's eyes, a look in his own that was neutral, but slightly less submissive than usual. 

"Thank you, my King. I shall do my best to handle this task." His best. Yes. Not like that had ever been enough before. But still, he would try, for Lance's sake. If he got hurt again, the boy would try to help him and risk himself once more. Yeah, he couldn't let that happen. 

One of the guards stepped forward, keys in his hand, but then stopped, looking unsurely at the king, not daring to speak. He needed to wait for permission to unchain the boy. 

But the king wasn't moving yet, just staring back at his son with that inquisitive look, which Keith was glad to return. For a while, they just stood there, Keith growing more and more uncomfortable but never showing it.

What was it, in his son's eyes that sent a small yet persistent feeling of uneasiness to his body? Zarkon's senses told him something was off. A small change in those hideous indigo eyes, subtle and almost imperceptible to the human's eye. 

His own hazel eyes glared at them with maliciousness for minutes, trying hard to decode whatever had changed into his perfectly submissive son, whatever that had happened on the trip and stayed with him. Did it have to do with the enviroment? With the rebels? With the hunter?

But behind those eyes a thick strong wall of nothingness kept him from finding out the truth, if there was any. Perhaps he was seeing things. 

"Unchain him, you fool," he suddenly spat loud and clear to the guard, almost making him jump in fear as he hurried to select the right key with quivering hands and insert it on each handcuff, freeing the prince. 

"Treat him and feed him a proper breakfast, I do not want him to faint due to lack of energy in the middle of work." With those orders given he turned around and left the room, ordering a guard to go with him and carry the paperwork for him.

The air slowly escaped his lips as relief swept over him. The tension sipped away, and then he was loose and nearly fell again. 

The Prince managed to lean on the bed behind him, groaning loudly but not crashing to the floor as he'd feared. He, of course, wasn't as hungry as the King thought he was. Lance's sandwich preventing his stomach from screaming out loud, but the hunger was starting to return. Luckily, the King had allowed him breakfast for some reason. 

He rubbed his wrists, being careful around the burn, and actually managed to stand on his own legs. And a few minutes later, he preceded one of the guards to his own study, the man behind him carrying stacks of papers for him to review. 

Another servant had been ordered to get him a proper meal, and the prince was already looking forward to it. 

He settled in his room, took a deep breath and started. The kind of things he had to do differed a lot. There were invitations and wedding announcements, news of war declarations and victories, many, many complaints of his people, even his own workers in the Castle, and of course other royals congratulating him and Lotor on their engagement. Those messages might have been the worst, constantly reminding him of the coming doom.

After breakfast, which consisted of an abundance of bread, meat and fruits - the best meal he'd had in days - the healer came by and treated his back with many herbs and cremes, Keith forcing himself to focus on work instead of the burning pain. 

After half an hour, the man wrapped Keith's back in thick bandages, and another half an hour later his forearm had gotten the same treatment. That felt better, though Lance's work had already taken away most of his pain. 

He worked for hours, until the sun was high in the sky and then some more. His father hadn't included lunch in his orders, but Keith didn't mind. He wasn't burning much energy anyway. 

The guard stood by the door, not knowing himself whether he was protecting the Prince or keeping him prisoner. Maybe both. It didn't matter, Keith wouldn't try to escape. 

He just worked, all day, without pauze. When the stack of unfinished work was done, new papers and raports were brought, and it all started over again.

...

-"Ance... La..ce... Lance!" The hunter growled to be left alone, his face almost glued to the pillow and his body slumped on the now messy blankets of their room. If his sister kept poking him he swore stealing wouldn't be his only crime. 

"Don't 'grr' me. First you come without saying a word, go to sleep without saying a word, and now you won't talk to me either!" She sighed. 

"You look sick and you're obviously hurt. Mom and dad are worried about you. We've all been. You took a long time to come back.. What happened while you were gone?"

Lance really wished he could explain. More than anything, he wanted to exclaim how awesome and difficult their journey had been, how happy he was to have met his prince charming, how utterly worried he felt and to express his rage towards the king out loud. But he couldn't. 

Rachel, as well as the rest of his family, hated royalty. They would never understand. How could he explain he wasn't feeling well due to stressing out wondering if the prince, the love of his life, was okay, without being yelled at? He sighed and rolled over his back to glance at his sister leaning against the doorframe. 

He remembered arriving at his house and eating breakfast - all a blur - before letting himself doze off on the bed. By the light coming from the window he could tell he'd missed lunch, it was late in the afternoon. 

"Nothin'... The rebels kicked my butt and we-- the prince, decided we should return and get reinforcements. Apparently things are more serious than we'd thought," he summarized lazily while sitting up, rubbing his eyes, yawning and ruffling his hair. God, he'd slept so much yet he still felt off. "I'm fine, just hadn't slept much, don't worry."

"Yeah sure. I bet Prince Salty ordered your ass around all week and didn't give you a chance to breathe," his twin scoffed with disdain, rolling her eyes. 

Lance had instantly opened his mouth but closed it again, biting the inside of his cheek to avoid spilling things he'd rather keep to himself. 

"The blood on your clothes was damn hard to wash away, you know that?" She started throwing to his face all his clothes, now clean and mint fresh, and he raised his arms in a defensive position. He knew she was trying to make him laugh, but he was still too sleepy to try to catch 'em all. 

"Luckly mom does magic. She's outside by the way, she told me to come get you. She wants to know what's up. Don't make her wait too long." With that said, Rachel turned around on her dress and headed off, leaving the brunette with his thoughts for a bit. 

Since he was a kid and until now, he'd told pretty much everything to his mother; from how well his first hunt had been, his class with Allura, his first confession and first heartbreak, to how the village was changing and the world moved. 

Despite her not being able to answer nor give any type of advice under her paralysis, Lance felt so much better after getting his worries out of his system. He felt listened and understood, and he knew he could always trust her and rely on her, no matter what.

No matter what. 

After giving his father and his brother Marco the same brief summarize of last week, he headed outside to their back garden. He'd changed into more loose clothing, and descended the steps to sit on them next to the most important woman ib his life. 

"Hey ma," he greeted her with a smile softly, shifting his gaze on the sun setting to her fragile but precise hands, now currently working on a dark brown necklace with some lighter beads and what looked like a carved wood half moon in it. So far it looked beautiful, and so did she. 

He was glad to find her just as he'd left when he came back, however, he knew what that necklace meant exactly; It was a family tradition to gift one's child a carved necklace when they turned twenty, symbol of a new era and their new responsibilities as full adults. But he wasn't anywhere near twenty yet. Why was she making it so soon? 

"You wanted to see me?" he asked with more care than before.

His mother didn't look up, but smiled softly and hummed. Every day her son, her Lance had been gone was spent with the whole family, comforting each other and processing her miraculous recovery. 

But she had been the most worried of all. Lance was capable of handling his own out there, she knew that. But the mother inside her wanted to keep him close, keep him safe in her arms. And when he came back, the relief was incomparable to any feeling, even the feeling of getting her body back from that evil disease. 

But the boy seemed... different. He'd been hurt before, many times. He was a hunter, after all. But this time was different. Even after his wounds had been properly treated and bandaged, his eyes showed some sort of fear. Had someone hurt him beyond his body? 

"Hello, cariño," she mused, still focusing on the delicate work in her hands, and motioning for Lance to sit down beside her. "I wanted to ask you about your journey. Your earlier words were a bit... short. Tell me, did something happen?" 

There was something missing in Lance's eyes, something usually so clearly apparent. That boyish cheek was gone, replaced by a seriousness she'd rarely seen there before. When he didn't respond immediately, she put down her work and turned to face him, a frail hand raised to his cheek and a look of kind encouragement in her eyes. 

"Mijo, you can tell me anything." Her soft but dry lips pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead, not having trouble reaching it despite being more than a head shorter than her son. Lance was hiding something, even though she hadn't heard the story yet. He was debating in his head, trying to decide whether to say something. And all Rosa wanted was for him to trust her. 

The moment Rosa asked the question, Lance felt the urge to spill absolutely everything from beginning to end, but there was a reason his body still kept his mouth shut. Out of any member of his family or friends he knew his mother wouldn't judge, she would try to understand. 

But what if she didn't approve? It was highly dangerous after all, to do what he was doing. What if she thought his feelings weren't genuine and tried to persuade him to let go? Her opinion was more important than anyone else's, if she said no, if he didn't have the support of his dear ma...

But then he focused on the gentle touch, on her warm darker blue gaze and her incomparable motherly kiss. She was right, he could tell her anything. If there was anyone who would listen till the end, it was her. He trusted her, blindly and completely. He looked from down to her eyes again, leaning on her hand some more seconds before sighing. 

"What didn't happen?" he laughed nervously, chewing his lower lip. "...Before the trip, I'd already had a few encounters alone with the prince. He knew who I was from the very beginning. I guess I made a quite memorable first impression." He grimaced, still not proud of that. 

"But on the actual trip we somehow grew closer, even if it wasn't intentional. Through all the experiences and us seeing through each other... It was like some outer force was pulling us together, and I... I gave up. I didn't fight it. It just happened," he murmured, leaning his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand, staring at the horizon.

"He's nice, ma, he's the kindest soul I've ever met. He's innocent and naive in some aspects, but in most he's wary, mature, serious and responsible, with the sense of duty perhaps too implanted on him. But he's so caring and smart and honest and... pretty." He smiled absentmindedly, focused on the mental image of his lover in his head. 

"So, so pretty... He has this mysterious eyes and elegant features and he's so adorable when he looks at me like that, and when he smiles?" He sighed, lovestruck. "Your whole world shakes. There's nothing I desire more than making him happy... I... I love him, ma." 

He glanced at her with that smile full of affection, his cheeks slightly reddish and his heart fluttering along. He couldn't deny it. 

"And I know it's love. It has to be. It's so strong and amazing and bright... It's the realest thing I've ever felt for someone. And I know he's a prince and I'm nowhere near his reach, I'll probably never be. But being a prince isn't even half of who he is, and he makes me so happy mamá... Incredibly happy. We understand each other, trust and care for each other, protect each other, he... He loves me too! He loves me..." 

His eyes glittered from the amount of love he felt towards him, but his eyes trailed down to her hands and took both on his darker ones, pursing his lips. 

"I know it's wrong, dangerous... But it just feels so right...!" he said in a now trembling whisper, betraying how troubled he felt inside. 

"I don't- I can't let go, ma. I can't deny or ignore my feelings for him, despite having all the odds against us. Despite our family not approving. I love him. I love him so much it scares me..." he breathed, squeezing her hands with his own.

Rosa stayed quiet during his whole speech, taking in every word and never letting go of his hands. 

"Oh, mijo," she let out when he was done, and pulled her little boy into her arms. She loved Lance unconditionally, but even she had to admit this situation was... difficult. Lance stood far below the Prince in society, no matter how much more important he was than some Prince. 

And a part of Rosa felt a certain hostility towards the royal that had stolen Lance's heart. Lance had been played before, and there was so much more danger this time. What if the Prince was not the person he pretended to be? 

But then she saw the look in Lance's eyes, worry mixed with so, so much love. She couldn't have changed the boy's mind if she wanted to. Love was something to be celebrated, to be persevered, no matter the obstacles. That was one of the many things Rosa herself had taught her children. And she couldn't change that perspective now. 

"Shush, mi querido. Don't you worry about it. This.. This Prince, he has your heart? Well, I say he better have earned it." She chuckled softly and let him go to look in his eyes. 

"The way you talk about him tells me your feelings are true. And you know how I feel about love. But.." She hesitated. Lance had always been difficult to deter once he'd set his mind to something, but had he thought this through properly? 

"But he ís the prince. To get involved with someone like that... You'd be endangering your life just talking to him, let alone be a real couple. What do you imagine your life to be like together? He's-"

Her voice stopped for a moment as a second reality hit her, and her voice lowered to a sympathetic musing. "He's getting married, Lance. To another prince. You already knew that. You need to think hard whether you're willing to take such risks for.. for a prince." 

She really tried to keep the defiance and disgust out of her voice, but didn't quite succeed. The things the royal family of Daibazaal had done to her and her family... Unforgiveable. Besides... 

"Lance, are you sure he's telling the truth? I don't mean to doubt your judgement, but maybe... maybe he has different motives for keeping you close." It wouldn't be the first time a prince sought a little action on the side before getting married. 

And she would hate to admit it, but Lance was an easy target in that way. Like said before, he had gotten played many times. And everytime, she was there to console him when he came home, hurt and crying because another man or woman had used him by pretending to return his affections. This time, it wasn't just Lance's heart at stake. It was his life. 

The moment he stayed in her arms, Lance closed his eyes, breathed slowly and let himself relax to the sound of her constant heartbeat, let her motherly embrace wash away part of his worries. At least she didn't doubt the seriousness of his own feelings, good. 

He wished he could stay like that forever, but then he was pulled back to reality when she gave him a doubtful look. How would their life be together? He... He wasn't sure. 

His heart sunk at the venom on her tongue directed to his lover, grimacing slightly. He knew exactly where she was going with her last words, and he did not want to step into that garden. 

"Ma, I know what you're thinking, I thought the same at first," he declared with a knot on his throat. "Believe me, I tried so, so hard to keep a distance from him when I got aware of my own feelings, but I... I couldn't. I know he's being honest with me, ma, I can feel it. I see it in each and every one of his actions. 

He's been through a lot and may seem like your every day spoiled prince, but he's not like that at all. He has a kind soul, he's against the injustices of his kingdom and he wished he could do things right. He's the way you described Queen Krolia, ma." He smiled, a hand on his heart so his words would match his feelings. 

"He's had plenty of chances to let me down, to leave me and forget about me, but he hasn't. He saved me from the rebels when he didn't have to, he's treated my wounds when I didn't ask him to. He truly, truly cares about me, with no ulterior motives behind. I trust him, blindly and completely. No silly adventure with a peasant would be worthy the risks we're both taking." 

He sighed, his gaze falling to the steps. 

"We've talked about Prince Lotor many times now, but he's selfish and egocentric and mean, with everyone, especially with Keith." He used his first name to show how close they really were. 

"He doesn't want to marry him, but he has no choice in the matter. He's never had a choice. He'd be miserable with him, mamá." He looked at her with pain In his eyes. 

"That's why I have to be there for him. He... The king... He's a monster to him. He's hurt and alone, he doesn't have anyone else he can fully rely on. He needs me. I've been showing him life can be better, that there's beauty In it. I'm aware doing this, trying to be with him is... risking my life. I know what I'm exposed to, and he doesn't want me to risk this much either, but what choice do I have? Giving up is not an option." 

He sighed, letting his frown relax and closed his eyes for a moment, before looking at his own hands again. 

"Look, I... I don't know how our life could be. It all depends on what happens inside the castle, what the royals do. All I know is that... Keith and I... We're just two people, who were never meant to fall in love. But we did, and there's no going back now." He pursed his lips. 

"If there's anyone worthy of risking my life for, it's him. That prince. Because he... He's so much more than a prince. He's my other half, mamá. He could gain power some day, fight and make things better, but for that he needs hope. I'm the one giving him hope. Things could be so much better for our people...! This is bigger than me." 

He took both of her hands and placed them on his own cheeks, slowly fluttering his gaze to meet hers with his heart in his fist, silently pleading her to understand. This wasn't a childish crush, a meaningless summer romance, this wasn't a game. He wanted her to see he was aware, that this time, he was serious about his lover. That it had to be done. It was a matter of destiny, since... 

"You can't decide who you fall for, who owns your heart. Keith owns mine, mamá, and I own his, as well. It's mutual, healthy, with mutual respect and sacrifice. We're in love."

Rosa pursed her lips for a moment, but then allowed her lips to form a soft smile. Her son was in love. And despite her distrust of royalty, this Prince seemed to love him back. 

"I'm happy for you, Lance," she smiled. 

"But," she said, her gaze hardening for a moment. "If he does anything to you, if he is dishonest in any way, I don't care that he's the prince, I will neuter him. Don't let love blind you, pecas." 

Then her smile returned and she pressed yet another kiss on his forehead. "Now, come on. Help me prepare dinner. And Lance-" She stopped him from walking away. 

"Maybe.. Maybe not tell the rest of the family yet. They might not understand. I have to admit, it was hard to accept your love for a... for a prince. Okay?" His soft nod was reciprocated by Rosa and she let him go and followed him inside. 

The kitchen was empty, luckily, so the woman could safely question her son some more. "So, the prin- Keith doesn't want to marry that other man? That must be awful, being with someone you don't love." She started cutting carrots and potatoes to stew. 

"Put on some water," she told her son.

"Why don't you tell me some more about him. About Keith." Maybe it would be easier to accept this.. this situation, if she knew a little more about the one who's stolen Lance's heart. 

It seemed unrealistic, a sweet boy, burdened by the pressure of having everything and being the boss over everyone. It was difficult to feel pity while a kid had everything while families starved to death in the kingdom he was supposed to rule. 

Of course, it was still the king who was in charge. That man was... cruel, to his people. She'd always imagined his son to be the same way. Spoiled. Arrogant. Rude. 

But Lance had spent more time with him, and had obviously changed his opinion. Who was the Prince? What had he done to Lance? 

She suppressed a giggle at the thought that the prince was just really, really good in bed. Yeah, that was unlikely. Though, he had probably had some practice with the servants and guards. 

That's what everyone thought, anyway.

Lance did as he was told and boiled the water before adding what her mom was cutting, still half lost in thought. 

'Don't let love blind you'. He clearly remembered the times she'd encountered his evil exes on the street and gladly slapped them in the face. Lance tried to stop her a few times, knowing it was his own fault for falling so easily for other people's lies. 

Sometimes a part of him was aware he was being played, but he continued to play along, feeling too hollow to care. At that time, pretending was the closest thing to feeling loved, a beautiful lie. 

Now that he felt truly loved, he could tell the difference between what was real and what was not. Indeed it was awful to be with someone you don't love, he thought. He'd been there. But unlike his experiences, Keith didn't have a choice. 

He glanced at his mother after she'd shot the question and caught a glimpse of her sassy expression, instantly turning red as he knew what she was thinking about. 

"Mamá!" he whined in embarrassment. She always had that knowing, perverted look when she asked him private questions about his current partner. And every time he did not want to, but ended up talking about the subject one way or another. 

"It's not what you think," he cleared out with a frown. "In reality he's completely inexperienced." They were kind of opposites in every way, but that's one of the things the brunette liked about him. 

He took out kitchen thighs from their preservation box, which consisted on a cold box full of salt to preserve their food, and started removing the skin with the help of a knife.

"...Keith is pretty innocent." He smiled to himself in amusement and adoration, focused on his work and keeping his tone low so no one else would hear. 

"He's been taught royal things like politics and lots of languages. He even speaks spanish! He's a great rider as well, and he's good with hand to hand combat. He's smart, I guess he's a good leader, although he doesn't really like giving orders, nor acting superior." 

He set the chicken on the cooking pot along the other food and leaned against the counter. 

"He thinks things through most of the times, though he can be pretty stubborn. He thinks he can and has to do everything by himself, but part of that is due to how he's been raised. I'm not saying he's not capable though, he is. He's incredibly strong and determined. It took me a while to crack his ice armor." He looked through the window with a small grimace. 

"He's been repressing his feelings all along, but once you get to know him he's empathetic and a really sensitive boy. He's incredibly cute and sweet" he smiled softly.

"He can be pretty funny when he allows himself to speak his mind. He's also a big tease." He chuckled and looked at his mom again. 

"He's talented and learns quick despite not admiting it. He's not picky either and adapts easily, and he's a good listener too. I just see so many qualities in him he doesn't see for himself." He sighed, his gaze falling down. 

"Life's been hard on him. It's hard for him to value himself. His father- the king, he puts too much pressure on him. Unnecessary pressure. He..." 

His tan hands gripped the wooden counter with force, his expression twisting in anger and pain. It was hard to say this things out loud. 

"He's inhuman. He's done things- he constantly hurts him in horrible ways for stupid things he considers as mistakes. He's so cruel, physically and emotionally, if I told you the state he's in right now you'd be horrified," he muttered. 

"That's why I'm so worried. I wish I could take him out of that stupid castle, far far away, it's so unfair...!" His heart clenched. 

"I feel- I feel so powerless, so useless to him... I can only do so much, and it's still not enough. It makes me so angry... To be unable to be the knight in shining armor he needs me to be."

Rosa tried to keep her defiant attitude towards the Prince, but the way Lance described him was actually pretty... nice. The flat royal asshole she's imagined evolved into a three dimensional character with feelings and quirks and talents and fears. Someone real. Someone hurt. 

When Lance spoke of the king, Rosa froze. She lay down her knife, and turned to her son. 

"Oh, Lance," she breathed, taking two quick strides and taking the boy into her arms. What had happened, what had caused her to actually feel sorry for a Prince? 

"You are not responsible for saving him, okay? You can't, not right now. If his father.. If he does the things you say he does, there is nothing you can do about it, I'm afraid." She stroked a hand over his back, trying to comfort him. 

"All you can do is be there for him, and get him through it." When had this become so complicated? "I don't like saying it, but the Prince is right in some aspects. You can't risk yourself needlessly." She threw a glance to the bubbling stew and led Lance to the table. 

"He sounds like a responsible young man. I do hope you're right about him. It would be a good change to have a just ruler. He'll be able to help the kingdom, even by prince Lotor's side." She lay an arms over Lance's shoulder and pulled him close once more. 

"Things seem hard right now. But you can't give up hope yet, not until I say you can, okay? You have helped him so much already, by what you're telling me. What has happened to him? What did his father do this time? And how do you know?" She wanted Lance to always be able to confide in her, even if she wasn't completely behind his decision to date a prince.

Being in her warm embrace always managed to soothe Lance's worries, and somehow everything that she said made sense. He had no power, the best he could do was bring him support and hopes, although he didn't entirely approve when his mother mentioned he was risking too much. 

He guessed he was stubborn himself regards fighting for what he believed in, no matter what, and he would never give up. At least not when it came to Keith. 

But the moment the king's name came out of her lips, his eyes fell to his feet. A part of him didn't want her to know, it was beyond cruel, and he knew she would be touched by it. Especially because it had to do with fire, and for his family, that was personal. 

His mother's condition had gotten worse due to worry when his brother's house was set in flames with them inside under the King's order. It had been Lance who'd helped them and his nephews get out unharmed, burning himself in the act. It was such a big burn they'd thought he wouldn't make It. Plus, telling her how he knew wasn't... Ideal. 

But... His heart screamed to let everything out. He wanted to be held and comforted a little longer by his mother, thing these late years he hadn't been able to do, when she didn't have enough strenght to lift her arms to him. He'd craved it so much, he still did. It's alright, mamá will understand, he told himself sighing.

"...It's- It's terrible, ma. He punished him for not succeeding, he-" he trailed off, swallowing hard and embracing himself. 

"He burned him, his right arm is full of second grade burns, and he craved Daibazaal's symbol on his entire back...!" His voice trembled and he nervously chewed on his lip, forcing himself to continue. 

"He chained him to his own bedpost at night and he can't even reach the floor properly, he's hanging, and he's starving him! His own son, mamá! He's so sick..." He dug his nails onto his skin with rage. If only he could smash his head with a rock, or make him suffer slowly so he would pay for everything he's done... 

"I... I know because I've seen it, I climbed the castle tower at night," he confessed, instantly looking at his mother and hurrying to explain. 

"But it was necessary! If I didn't take care of him he'd suffered all night by himself, mom, they hadn't even treated his burns! I had to do something, I-" he winced, pain glimmering in his eyes. "I thought- I was scared, ma, for a moment I thought he'd..." He trailed off and lowered his head. 

It's not like he wasn't in an incredibly bad state, but he'd thought Keith was even worse. Much worse. All the things he'd seen, his people suffering to death, horrifying images forever burned in his head, he didn't know what not to expect from the king.

One of Rosa's hands lay over her heart as she listened, cringing at every word. She stayed quiet for a while after his voice trailed away. 

She'd known the King was a horrible man, of course. The things that man had done to his people, to their family... But to do such things to your own son was beyond evil. And this had been going on for years. That poor, poor boy. 

"Oh, Lance," he breathed. "I am proud of you." She raised his chin with two fingers, forcing him to look in her eyes. It pained her to see those beautifully familiar eyes tainted with tears of worry. 

"I am so proud of you. You found love, true love." There was no use denying it. Lance loved this boy, and the prince apparently loved him back. 

"You found love, and you fought for it. You're still fighting. You've grown into such a strong, handsome man, and anyone would be lucky to have you care for them like that." She stood back up, pulling him along into a hug. 

The image of the Prince, tied up, starved and bleeding, wouldn't leave her mind. The young royal seemed younger in his head than he'd ever seemed before, more innocent, more like a victim of this cruel and unfair world. She could only imagine how much worse it had to be for Lance, to know his lover was in such extreme pain and not being able to do anything about it. 

Yet. 

Because Rosa also knew her son, and knew that he'd do anything to help those he cared about, and wouldn't stop until they were happy and safe. 

"You'll save him. But for now, have dinner with your family, get some rest. You need it. And we've missed you, a lot." She let go of him and stepped back to the counter to add some more ingredients to the pot on the stove, boiling with juicy vegetables and tender meat. 

"Why don't you set the table and call your siblings. It's time for a proper family meal."

Lance smiled at the sweet woman, her gentle words having almost brought him to tears, and nodded. She really did manage to get to his heart through her point of view. She always gave good advice, always seemed to know what to do, tried to understand him and really empathized with him. His mother was sich a great woman, and he was so, so lucky to have her. 

"Gracias, ma," he murmured, eternally grateful. "I've missed you too." More than he'd realized he would when he went away. 

However, he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing on what state his lover was right now, what had happened over the day. What if he got chained again? He would never be able to close his eyes without the image of him hanging on the bedpost hunting him on his mind. He'd wait until the moon was high on the sky, then visit him, he decided. 

But for now he could enjoy some quality time with one of his greatest treasures; his family. He retrieved some bowls from the cupboard, cleaned the wooden table, set flasks, bread, cutlery and drinks on it and proceeded to take and set down the bowls with delicious smelling soup in them.

"¡Marco! ¡Rachel! ¡Veronica! ¡A la mesa!" he yelled, and it didn't take them two minutes to gather in the room with hungry vulture eyes. Their mother's cooking was something they'd greatly missed over the years, and It now tasted like sweet memories mixed with pure bliss. 

He took a few minutes to go to his father's workshop and call both him and his brother Luis, both gladly letting the tools down and following him to the dining room/kitchen as well. 

It wasn't a big house. They were already lucky to have more than one room, and he currently shared his room with his sisters - although Veronica occasionally spent the night god knows where -. Even so, the rent was incredibly high, and the entire village knew the landlord was probably swimming in gold by now.

But that was okay.

They had his mother back, they were united and happy again, and everything would be alright. With that joyful thought they all sat for dinner, telling each other how their day had been and laughing together.

Lance really wished he could share his joy with them, too.


	31. The Dangers Of Love

Keith was tired. He'd just finished another stack and had to will himself to stay awake until the next batch of work was delivered. His back and arm led constant shivers through his body, everytime he moved he cringed in pain, and his breakfast had long been digested. But it could have been worse. And most importantly, Lance was safe.

He got to work again, suffering his way through a pile of many, many laws that had to be approved or denied, and even more wedding congratulations. Nearly every invited royal had confirmed their presence at the coming event. Great. Now the worst day of his life could be shared with hundreds of people he hated.

Speaking of, the door opened with a soft creak to admit a tall, handsome man, his pearly hair pulled back in a braid and a familiar taunting smirk on his face. Lotor had obviously heard of the state the other Prince was in, and made it his business to rub his nose on it. Great. 

Keith sighed and dropped his eyes back to his papers, hoping that by some miracle Lotor would leave. But he didn't. The man took a few long steps until he stood behind Keith, and looked over his shoulder to see what he was working on.

"Having fun, Yorak?" he asked, the pleasure dripping from every syllable. Silent rage boiled within Keith, his fingers and teeth clenching. Lotor must have seen it, because he let out a soft scoff.

"You don't honestly think you can fight me, do you?" He lay a tentative hand on Keith's back, his face twisted in curiosity, and obviously trying to see how bad it was.

Keith winced visibly and turned around to his his hand away, luckily using his good arm. Everything hurt. He didn't want to move. Lotor's touch had sent shivers up his spine like nothing else could, no matter how light it had been.

"Don't touch me," he snarled.

Lotor raised a brow, not really surprised by his reaction. "You're a fool, Yorak," he spoke. "You were a fool to let the rebels escape. You were a fool to let the thief go. You were a fool to cross your father. And most of all, you are a fool to cross me." 

He turned around and walked out, but not before pressing his full hand hard on Keith's back, making him gasp for air as the pain swallowed him once more. He was left panting and shivering, hungry and tired, alone an office stacked with work.

However, it wasn't long until a sharp, hoarse screech came from the distance, and in a few seconds, bright blue feathers flew across the half open balcony doors. Blue obediently released a letter right on the pile of work before gracefully landing on the desk, not paying attention to Keith as she stretched out one of her wings to clean her multi-colored feathers.

Earlier that afternoon, she'd been accompanying her human after he'd shared part of his dinner with her. He'd looked kinda down for reasons that escaped her knowledge, but she'd guessed it had to do so something with his human mate. She could feel it, just like Lance knew when she was sick, moody or longing to play. 

They had a bond she considered stronger than most, the other hawks and falcons in the royal mews seemed to serve their humans as masters. She didn't like that. Lance, however, treated her differently, as if she was part of his nest. Trying to comfort him, she plucked one of her longest feathers and gifted It to him as a sign of appreciation, to which the tanned hunter seemed to lit up and thank cheerfully. 

After that he'd taken a big sheet of paper, some hand-made ink that smelled like blueberries and started writing. She could see it wasn't perfect writing, it had a few studs here and there due to him not writing much outside his personal diary, but he'd tried to keep it as clean and well lined as possible - and added hearts to every single one of his 'i'es -. Blue rolled her eyes at this, but of course her human didn't notice. 

Once dried, rolled and tied up with a light blue ribbon, he gave it to her and gave her instructions to deliver it to his ravenette mate's nest.

Not before reading the letter out loud to her so she'd give him her approval, of course.

'To Prince Keith, flower of flowers, crowned with the garland of courtesy.

  
Cold in my professions, warm in my relationship, I wish, my Dear Prince, it might be in my power, by action rather than words, to convince you that I love you. I shall only tell you that 'till I kissed you goodbye, I hardly knew the value you had taught my heart to set upon you. Indeed, my darling, it was not well done. 

You should not have taken advantage of my sensibility to steal into my affections without my consent. But as you have done it and as we are generally indulgent to those we love, I shall not scruple to pardon the fraud you have committed, on condition that for my sake, if not for your own, you will always continue to merit the partiality, which you have so artfully instilled into me. 

You have made me disrelish everything that used to please me, and have rendered me as restless and unsatisfied with all about me, as if I was the inhabitant of another world. With no object of sufficient importance to occupy my attention, here I am, left to feel all the weight of our separation. 

I pass a great part of my time in company of my family, but my dissipations are a very imperfect suspension of my uneasiness. It escapes out of my control the King's discipline measures so recklessly set upon you, as I am nothing but a humble peasant. 

However I wrote this letter to you, my royal highness, to remind you of my burning and undying love. It is you the gatekeeper that holds the key to my beating heart. I shall now prepare you a meal decent of your exquisite palate, encourage you to continue holding on, cherish the sweet hope of meeting you tonight, tomorrow night, the night after that, to share with you all I've got under the faint moonlight, and evermore.

Ever yours

L.M.'

Blue considered it too cheesy, but nonetheless, she chirped in approval.

Keith scrambled over his desk to take hold of that unexpected pleasure, the thin paper screaming his name. The blue bird on his desk told him, without words, where the letter had come from. His Lance. 

His eagerness could barely be contained as he gently ripped open the seal and his eyes found the first few words. Happiness flowed up from the depths of his body to spread an even blush over his cheeks. Lance had written him a loveletter. God. 

The sentences sprung up from the paper, echoing in Keith's ears with that familiar, smooth voice. He'd always thought Lance was great with words, constantly knew just what to say in any given situation to set Keith's heart ablaze. But the way he wrote, the way he braided letters and words into a story such as this was incomparable to anything he'd ever read. And it was made for him. 

The Prince was beaming, tears in his eyes and love on his face, rereading the letter until he'd memorized it completely. Ever yours. Lance loved him. Hím! And he was coming to visit again tonight, to care for him and hold him close and love him. A new sense of determination and love flowed through him as he grabbed an empty piece of paper and started writing.

'Dear heartthief, protector of my soul and hunter of my love,

Though my body is locked in this room, my heart and mind are with you, running free through the forest like so many times before. Your sweet words of encouragement and the knowledge that you are safe and well in your own world are the only thing keeping me from crumbling when the earth shakes with destruction, when the constant waves of the ocean threaten to wash my spirit away. 

I shall await your presence with flaming desire and pray for your prudence and caution when so valourously defying danger, caused by the protection lain on me by my father, protection that I would rather abandon if it meant spending my life with you. I cannot take the blame for stealing your affections, when it was you who took my heart first. But I can only sail with where the winds take me, and I do not protest the direction of the weather in recent times.

All my love and more

K.K.'

The Prince bit his lip in embarrassment, but waved the paper until the ink was dry, rolled it up as tightly as he could and tied it to Blue's leg. It was nowhere near Lance's exquisite message, but Keith had tried. Besides, he needed somewhere to put all this love, to keep it inside was like trying to hold water in your bare hands. 

He gave Blue a few soft strokes, let her jump on his arms and then urged her to fly out of the window, back to her companion. The Prince watched her leave with a soft smile on his face, wishing the night would come sooner, but then sat back down at his desk and continued the work. He'd already spent too long doing other things, the king would notice if he didn't get enough work done in the time he had.

The sun was setting by the time Lance saw Blue enter through the window, instantly making him put his wooden carving aside and sit on the desk as fast as lightning. The different letter told him his own had successfully reached it's destiny and oh god, Keith had replied? 

He carefully untied the letter, gave Blue a snack as a reward, soothed her chest feathers in gratitude and finally placed his attention on the letter. He spent a ridiculous amount of time looking how neatly it was rolled up and the official seal of Daibazaal before opening it. 

'Dear heartthief'. Indeed, it was from Keith... His first letter ever, and it was a gift from the love of his life. It was written In a similar format to his, so he assumed he'd done an alright job, and as his eyes trailed on the letters, so perfectly written, his smile widened and his eyes radiated nothing but great adoration. 

His prince had written a letter, just for him. Him. Keith, with his beautiful handwriting, had gifted him a part of his time to write down his thoughts and seal his feelings on paper, for him. It was so full of love from beginning to end the brunette's heart threatened to escape his chest with it's intense beating, making his cheeks take a bright apple color. 

Keith had stated he would spend his life with him. Or at least that he'd abandon his current life to do so at will. That had Lance thinking for a while, before coming to the conclusion that it was too early to give himself the thought of that possibility. 

He wouldn't lie, the future scared him. He'd just live the present every day the best he could, and right now... Right now, in this moment, everything would be okay.

'All my love and more'. Lance couldn't help but roll the letter and take it to his heart, embracing it with a totally smitten feeling. It was perfect. Every part of it was perfect, and he would forever cherish it in his heart and burn it in his memory until he'd learned each and every syllable. 

And so when everyone was asleep, he changed his clothes, took the wrapped dinner on his hands and went on his way to at last meet the prince on his tower once again, to take care of him and hold him in his arms and make sure he knew how damn loved and worthy and special he was. To make sure he was safe. 

He did, night after night, and continued with his life during the day. Keith had told him he wouldn't be able to leave his room for a while, and Lance had to live with that, too. It was weird not seeing him around in the castle, and it was irritating to find Prince Lotor instead. 

He hadn't forgotten him, and he'd seemed to have the hunter on his black list, constantly teasing him and making him do things he shouldn't have to do, things that just weren't part of his fucking job. 

Was his court treated like this, too? Romelle seemed to have normalized it. No matter how threatening Keith might look to the others, Lance could tell they sort of missed him as well. Without him there was no one to set his ground and avoid Prince Lotor taking possession of them. 

Of course Lance had decided to keep his personal situation unknown to his lover to avoid him worrying or getting frustrated over something he couldn't stop for now. He had more things to worry about, such as not messing up and getting out of this one soon. 

Two weeks went on like that, with overworked castle servants. Not even the arrival of Commander Shiro could stop it, although he did relief the extra duties of his knights, there was nothing else he could reach.

Except one more thing.

He'd informed Sendak, the king's closest adviser of what the absence of the prince would cause. That he needed to continue his training or it would be twice as hard to do so later. That he needed to be in condition for the wedding and the conflict with The Blades. 

It was sunday morning when he was called to escort the king to the prince's room.

Keith was doing rather well, considering the circumstances. His back was slowly healing, the scabbed over skin itching constantly, but the daily visit of the healer told him there was no infection. The burn on his arm was now nothing more than a piece of light pink skin, stretching from his elbow to the side of his hand, and feeling quite stiff when he wrote. 

His stomach was constantly asking for food, but the begging was silenced by Lance's nightly visits and the occasional meals his father allowed him. And yeah, he was tired all the time, but that was nothing new. 

Besides, he could sleep by Lance's side nearly every night, except those in which the hunter had business to attend to or the guards made an extra round to check on him. 

Lance was hiding something from him, he knew that. The bags under his eyes told him there was something off, something the hunter didn't want him to know, but Keith didn't ask. He'd rather not ruin the little time they had together.

He'd just spent most of the night chained up, hanging from his bedpost after Lance had had to leave early, when the door opened, later than usual. And in came Shiro.

Keith could have laughed in relief. Lance had told him the commander had returned a few days earlier, but for some reason the man hadn't visited yet. The king had probably forbidden it, knowing Shiro had a soft spot for the Prince. No matter, it was great to see him. 

Shiro's face was easily readable, shock and disgust written all over it. He had never really agreed with the King's harsh punishments, and Keith truly looked horrible this time. 

He hadn't bathed in a few days, the bags under his eyes were nearly pitch black and his body was skinnier, more fragile than usual. But his smile lit up the whole room. Until it fell.

The King strode in, a few paces behind the commander, looking at Keith like he always did, with pity and hatred in his eyes. Keith looked back at him. His body may be a little broken, but his spirit wasn't. "Father," he said, greeting the man. 

He gave Shiro another smile. "Commander. Its good to see you."

It went beyond Shrio's understanding, how despite the situation the prince was found in, he was still able to smile; he looked broken, beaten and hurt. The Commander knew exactly what had happened, the sick way the king would justify it, and it was that moment he realized he should've never left, no matter what would've happened to that part of the kingdom, no matter that he'd came back with his special someone. He should've been here for Keith. His apologetic gaze told him all of that. 

He did not dare to open his mouth in fear his hatred towards the king would spill, but he couldn't have if he wanted to. 

The king was already walking past him to face his son upclose, scowling with intense disdain as he snapped a hand to grab his pale chin and turn his face to the side, not at all in a gently way. His son was indeed in a pitiful state, but not in the state he'd imagined him to be. 

He wasn't as skinny as he should, and he wasn't as tired either. Once again his senses told him something was wrong. Nothing could escape his eye forever in his own kingdom, after all. 

This time, however, he could not grasp what it was. What could it be...? The only ones with access to that part of the castle - without Shiro in mind, since he hadn't been allowed at that moment - were.... 

"Yorak," he spoke loud and clear, an eyebrow raised as he held his chin up, forcing him to mantain eye contact. "Has one of the night guards been feeding you? Or have you bribed someone into bringing you meals you were not allowed to have?" he sneered. "Remember, if you lie, I will know."

Keith had known the question would come. He had talked to Lance about it as well. He'd known the king would notice something was off, that he'd had more food than was allowed, that he'd slept in bed at night. 

But Lance had refused to even think about letting him go hungry, of letting him hang from chains all night, and the prince had stopped asking after a while. Keith would just have to lie. 

Now, this was easier said than done. The boy was a terrible liar, especially when it came to the king. But right now, with those shadowed, hazel eyes upon his own, he found himsepf having no trouble saying: "No, father." 

To talk any more way too big a risk to take, not sure how long his newfound confidence would last, and his father didn't need anything else. He didn't expect his son to lie to him, nor would he have believed it. Keith rarely lied to his father, and the times he did, his lies never held for long. 

Now he could only hope his father assumed he'd made a judgemental error and misjudged how bad Keith would look after two weeks in punishment. If he didn't, he'd look into all the guards that were allowed acces and question them. That would lead to nothing. The king would never find out about Lance, and he'd stay eternally suspicious of everyone in this goddamn castle. 

He could of course torture Keith into telling him, but that would lead nowhere. If the Prince had lied he wouldn't crack under pain. 

He looked at Shiro again and gave him an encouraging smile, telling him that it was alright, that he would be fine, and that he didn't blame him for anything. But what to do when he got out? Would he tell him anything? 

He trusted Shiro, knew that he wouldn't tell anyone else about Lance, but the more people knew, the more likely it was to come out. And if that happened... Keith didn't want to think about it. But could he keep a secret this big from his best friend, his brother?

The king, who'd been toughly glaring at him in search of something, anything that would lead him to a clue, a name, a person to blame, he found nothing. He knew his son was no liar to him. Yorak knew the price if he ever did lie. He had no motive to lie now, either. 

"Perhaps I have... underestimated your physical resistance," the dark skinned man muttered hesitantly, let go of his chin and took his hands behind his back, glancing at the desk and back at the prince. 

"I have noticed your hard work these past few days, and I shall recognize your good results. You have not failed me this time," he announced with something similar to, yet far from a proud father's admiration. 

"You have succeeded and hold on longer than expected, longer than most. Indeed facets befitting of a true prince. That does not mean you do not have a long way to go, Yorak. But as for now, you are retired of your punishments." 

He glanced at the Commander, who instantly got the hint and stepped forward to take the right key and unchain Keith, doing his best to contain his still explosive emotions hidden from the king. Keith didn't even reach the floor. That was beyond inhuman. 

"You shall continue your diary routine, although I do expect better results on your training," There was a subtle change on Zarkon's expression as if looking at what was to come. "Since we will find The Blades and finish them for good." 

This is personal, the shade in his eyes said, turning to walk away but stopping in the door to add; "Do not fail me again," as a warning to his son.

Keith slowly breathed out when his father left. He'd done it. He'd actually lied to his father. 

Moments later, the locks snapped open and Keith collapsed in Shiro's arms, nearly too tired to feel the soft burning from their contact, his legs unable to support him and his arms stinging from lack of blood. 

"I'm sorry," he breathed. A soft whimper escaped his lips as Shiro set him down on the bed. His body felt stiff and weak, trembling from lack of sleep and food. But at least Lance was safe, and he was officially relieved of his punishment. 

Finally, after two weeks. He could eat again, he could sleep in his bed, he could continue his normal life. He'd just have to work a little harder, be better, and he'd be able to defeat he Blades for real this time. He wouldn't disappoint again. 

He couldn't put Lance through this another time. Just seeing the look on the hunter's face every night as he had to chain him back up never got easier, and broke his heart. Never again. He lay against Shiro's shoulder for a while, just breathing. 

"I should take a bath," he eventually said. "I haven't washed in a while. Just..." He swallowed with difficulty, his dry throat burning furiously. "I missed you, Shiro," he croaked. 

"A lot happened while you were gone. I'll talk to you about it later, okay?" He shivered, but then slowly got to his feet, a deafening prickle running through them from lack of use. 

Each part of Keith's state made Shiro's heart clench. He couldn't remember a time he'd seen him this bad before, and who knows how much further it could've gotten. 

He chose not to overwhelm his little brother with questions despite how awfully worried he was, despite how terrible he looked and despite knowing he should be in incredible pain. Instead, after hesitating, he nodded and decided to give him some space first. 

"Alright," he sighed. A lot had happened indeed. From Keith's part, he did not only notice a change in his outside, but he could sense a glimpse of rebelliousness that wasn't there when he left, and something more. 

Plus, he knew Keith had lied. He knew him better than his own father, and he knew just when he was risking everything to defend someone from the court or his own skin. 

But from Shiro's part, a lot had happened, too. "I've missed you too, I..." He cut himself when he was about to apologize. Later. He frowned still in worry while getting up, letting Keith rely part of his weight on him until they reached the bathroom door. 

"I'll be waiting in the back garden. Don't force yourself too much, okay?" He waited for Keith's nod before turning around, once more hesitating as he stepped outside the room.

He wouldn't lie. Despite the prince's current state distracting his mind, he was quite anxious every time he turned the corner, awaiting to bump with that one person that was now back in the castle. Because that was his kind of luck. 

However, instead of finding that person he was met by quite the scene; one of his hunters, punching the wall before storming off to his direction. Before he could walk past him Shiro took him by the arm, recieving his fiery expression in return. 

"Lance! What the hell was--" He stopped, taken aback by the brunette's expression. His eyebrows shook with anger and he was bright red, his eyes shiny with tears. He could feel how tense he was under his grip, too. 

"What happened?" he asked more calmly this time, but that did nothing to the stressed boy about to explode.

"I'm so fucking sick of this crap! It's Prince Lotor! He-" Lance went quiet after shooting a quick glance at the end of the hallway, tensing even more and snapping his arm off his commander's hand. 

"Fuck It...!" he said between his teeth and stormed off, leaving a concerned, clueless Shiro behind.

Or perhaps not so clueless. The moment he looked towards the direction the young hunter had a moment ago, he found it; Prince Lotor. Despite the distance he could tell he was holding his laughter. 

Shiro frowned with discontent, knowing he could do nothing about whatever was going on between those two. Lance wasn't exactly a knight, not entirely under his charge. This was beyond him. With one more reason added to his uneasiness list, he headed to sit in the garden's bench.

The stiffness slowly faded from his body while moving around, starting a bath and taking off his clothes and bandages. Luckily, the cut on his back was completely healed over, and he could use all the soaps he wanted without fear of infection or stinging. 

It was scary to look in the mirror at first, not really recognising the person looking back at him. The bags under his eyes stood out darkly, his cheeks were hollow and his skin pale and dirty. 

The mark on his back stood out in dark red and lighter parts where it had almost healed completely, and the symbol was just as clear as the eventual scar would be, etched over so many others. His back was swollen slightly, and red from the strain, but the hot bath water did miracles. He could have fallen asleep in there, slowly sinking away in pure relief.

He cleaned his entire body, from his hair to his toenails, and used all the expensive products that had been abandoned for weeks now. It felt amazing. He hadn't realised how much he'd hated being so dirty all the time, feeling pathetic and disgusting, wondering if Lance smelled him. But now, he was clean again. 

He got out, dried off and quickly picked out a - perfectly clean - outfit from his closet. It was almost weird to wear a shirt again, but it felt amazing when the soft cotton slipped over his tender skin.

On his way to the gardens he passed the kitchens where he grabbed a freshly baked bun, just as a snack, to make sure he could pay attention to Shiro's briefing, and then hurried to meet the commander. 

Shiro sat in the garden as promised, and the prince slipped down on the bench next to him. "Hey," he said. He might still look like a corpse, but he could at least fake some sort of dignity. 

"Hey." Shiro replied, mustering to half smile despite the prince's still sick looking appearance. At least he looked better than first time in the morning, when he couldn't even properly stand up. No matter, his fancy royal clothes always managed to give away an aura of power and wealth state that Keith ironically wasn't in right now. 

He truly wished he could hug him, to tell himself Keith really was ok, but he didn't want to hurt him even more. Instead he raised a hand to ruffle his hair completely like he usually did, knowing Keith would have to organize his wild bangs again. 

"It's good to finally see you, bro," he said with a chuckle at his now wilder hair. "Although I... Expected to find you in a better state." His smile fell little by little, ending up in him staring down. 

"...I've heard the King punished you for not completing your mission, is that correct?" He grimaced. 

"I am so sorry... I should've been here, I should've come back earlier. Acted sooner. My duty in the west took longer than expected." But he knew that was no excuse. He felt he'd failed him, that for his fault Keith had had to face that alone... Unless.... Right. Someone had been feeding him. 

He didn't know the full story. He leaned his elbows on his knees and glanced at him sideways, recovering his characteristic cool and patience. 

"Sorry, I'm not letting you talk. Tell me... What happened? Are you feeling alright...?" Obviously he meant beyond the physical pain, hoping he wasn't breaking on the inside as well.

Keith nodded softly, and then stayed quiet for a while, trying to figure out how to tell Shiro all this. 

"I.. You heard correctly, I failed my mission. The rebelgroup was larger than expected and they captured me, tried to get me to give them information." He looked down and shuddered at the memory of Regris' hands all over his body, making him hurt like nothing else could, except maybe what his father had done a few days later.

"I'm not sure what would have happened had Lance not come to save me. Lance, he's..." He blushed and looked around to see they were truly alone. 

"You remember when you told me I needed a vacation? You were right. Those days, riding with Lance, were simply amazing." This was more difficult than he'd expected. What if Shiro didn't approve? What if he called them fools for defying danger like this? What if he told Keith to end it? The Prince wouldn't, of course. Lance didn't want him to, and he'd do anything to make that boy happy. 

"I... I fell in love, Shiro. With Lance. And he loves me too." He smiled stupidly at the floor, relishing in what he knew to be the truth. Lance loved him. "We got so much closer those days spent together, and I just.. He's so brave, so kind, so incredibly handsome." He sighed and then looked up at Shiro with a faint flush on his cheeks. 

"I lied to my father, someone did feed me. Lance was there, every single night, to take care of me. I just.. I love him so much, Shiro." Then he stayed quiet, waiting for the judgement. Would the man accept this? Did he even like Lance? Well, he knew him, and Keith found it hard to believe anyone who knew the boy could ever dislike him.

The Commander's expression went through multiple phases while listening to Keith's story, from worried and impacted to confused and, eventually, understanding. Followed by troubled and worried again, of course. 

His little brother had been taken, and where was he? Miles and miles away from him? Keith hadn't mentioned him being tortured, he didn't have aditional scars, but he could guess what could've happened. 

However it was true there was no way he could've known. All that was left for him was to be glad he was okay, do things better this time and for now, push the topic aside. He wouldn't make Keith sad again when he looked so... Happy? 

"...Lance, huh?" he asked more to reassure himself of that being the truth, staring at the red roses in front of them. "I'm glad you took my advice, Keith. I'm glad something good came out of your journey and that you were able to find yourself and rest for a while. I'm also relieved that you're safe, that you recieved help..." He looked at Keith again, inevitable doubt in his gaze. 

"But... Are you sure about this? Don't get me wrong. I know Lance since he was little, and I know he's a good person," he clarified. He had seen potential on him once, and Lance hadn't proved him wrong. 

The hunter was probably the most rebellious in the court, with a strong will and free spirit. He was agile in battle, but that meant he also was the one to always commit stupid actions. Risky actions. 

"Are you sure of your own feelings?" Keith had previously mistaken affection for love, Shiro knew this. 

"And his?" he added, because despite Lance being a good person, he was quite the loverboy. He was categorized by most guards as a royal player, and that was to no surprise. He'd flirted outside and inside the castle. 

"Are you entirely sure he's serious about this...? It's... risky, Keith." Deadly so, he added to his list of worries. "For both of you."

Keith looked down and bit his lip, feeling guilt overtake him once more. He knew he was risking Lance's life like this, he'd told the boy so many times, but Lance insisted it was worth it. Keith had to agree. If it was his life on the line, he would still want to be with Lance too. 

"I know," he told Shiro. "I know the risks. If anyone found out, he'd be killed and I'd be..." He shuddered. 

"But no one will. We're very careful. And we're both willing to risk it, because something like this just can't be ignored. I love him, Shiro. I'm sure of it, even though I've never felt it before. It's like... It's like riding on an open plain, just as clear as a cloudless sky. It's like rain falling outside as we cuddle in front of the fireplace. It's like... like the starry night, he's so radiant." 

Keith seemed to beam with love. He could talk about Lance forever, but Shiro would probably get annoyed soon, so he cut himself off. 

"I am sure of my own feelings, and quite sure of Lance's too. And it's worth it, the risks. You would do it too." He was sure Shiro would have risked everything to get Adam back after he'd just left. Everything. And he felt the same way about Lance. Keith couldn't help falling back to the subject of Lance's best qualities. 

"He has the most amazing eyes, and he's so strong, and so goddamn brave. And when we kiss..." He stared at nowhere in particular, a lovesick smile on his face. But then he blushed a little and looked at Shiro again. He definitely shouldn't tell him what else they'd done. That would be weird. He didn't want to discuss that with his big brother. 

"So, how did your mission go?" he asked, hoping Shiro would allow him to change the subject without any more questions.

Shiro couldn't not have eyes wide as plates. What had really got him of the conversation was the fact Keith had kissed someone. From his tone it had been multiple times, and he had liked it, which meant he was okay with Lance touching him. He was ok.... 

There had never been a time when he'd seen Keith being fine with making physical contact with someone, never, as far as he'd known him. This was a clear proof of their mutual connection, plus the beautiful way Keith had used to describe love. It was true, he himself still felt that. 

"Hey, we're not done talking," he said amused with a raised eyebrow, sighing deeply. "...It does sound like the thing between you two is strong. Plus, now I see you... Different, happier. I'm glad." He smiled warmly, speaking from the heart. 

"If he makes you comfortable, happy, who am I to intervene." He paused, remembering something Keith had said, his gaze falling to the ground. 

"...You got me there. I guess I would risk everything for that person, too.... Almost, everything." Which is what got them separated In the first place. 

"You have to promise me you'll be extremely careful, alright? No unnecessary risks, no silly glances at the dinner table, and no sneaking outside the castle, got It?" Keith's roll of eyes was enough to confirm he wouldn't do that - at least he hoped so. He kept silent for a few more seconds, wondering where to start.

"...My mission went... good. We took care of a few problems that were out of control, as well as the rise of criminality in that place, but..." He laced his hands, feeling the cold of the right metal one clashing with the living warmth of his right. 

"We needed reinforcements, and the general in charge there placed a few guards under my charge, between them..." He froze. 

"Adam. He went back under my charge to deal with the rebels' problem, so he'll be staying for a while. As for it being good...? Heck, he won't even call me by my name." He laughed at his own pathetic situation. 

He guessed Adam had all the rights not to talk to him, to treat him like a stranger. Shiro had chosen his job and place on that castle over retiring and marrying him. His lover had moved to spend time with his family, after many many fights of misundertanding and mutual hurting. 

But there was no way Shiro could've left this life, the war behind, when he was the only one looking out for Keith. Sometimes... Sometimes one had to make difficult choices. Adam's memory had been hibernating In the Commander's heart for years, but now that he constantly saw him again, the old feelings of stress and guilt rosed back up again.

Keith's eyes widened at the first mention of the other man. He knew most of what had happened between them, though Shiro didn't like talking about it and it had been a while ago. He knew Shiro felt a constant fear of having done the wrong thing, having chosen duty over love. He could see it in the man's eyes everytime anything even remote related was discussed. 

And Keith felt the guilt too, since it was partly his fault Shiro had stayed. His pale hand found Shiro's knee and he squeezed it comfortingly, telling him it would be alright. Keith had a newfound love for love, and part of him wanted to solve this to reassure himself that anything could be overcome if you loved each other. 

"I understand. But, you know, maybe it's a good thing that you've found each other again. I don't mean to meddle in your business in any way, but maybe you two can work it out. If not to get back together, than just to feel better about the whole thing. It would make you feel better, I'm sure he feels the same way. You could at least catch up." 

Keith himself would love to see Adam again, the last time having been when he was still little. Not that he'd grown much since then. 

"Anyway, I'm glad your mission was a succes, as opposed to mine. My father will expect me to try again after the wedding, to attack them better prepared and with more men." He sighed deeply. 

"I don't want to disappoint him, but I also feel like.. like they might be right. The things they talked about... If they spoke the truth, I'm not so sure I even want to rule this kingdom. There is so much wrong, so much corruption and people covering things up by murdering entire families. I'm not sure how much I can change when Lotor becomes my husband."

No matter what situation the Commander found himself In, he could always find comfort after the storm in Keith's understanding. Shiro had once had a big family he wasn't part of anymore, having been disowned when they found out of his sexuality. Other thing that wasn't straight was highly rejected In the island he'd come from. 

He was looked up to by many, but when downfall came he was pretty much on his own. He'd pushed away any other potential lover, a relationship was the least thing he'd wanted after Adam left. 

Keith had always been the light in the dark, and they'd supported each other through the years. Despite him being younger and unexperienced, hearing a third point of view always helped to see things for how they were, and he guessed this time the prince was also right. They would have to work It out eventually, or else he'd regret it for the rest of his life. 

He knew about them attacking the Blades after the wedding, he would be the one leading it next to Keith and perhaps the King himself, but he guessed how conflicted the prince should feel about it. 

"...Keith" he sighed, turning to him. "Let me tell you something, as your brother. In my time of working for your father I have dealed with strikes and disputes on the entire kingdom, rebels of many kinds. Some of them were wrong, but most... Most of them were right. Most of them just tried to make things better, to be heard. Some did It the wrong way, but still for a good cause. This kingdom might be rich in military power, but when it comes to quality of life... The village suffers. Tons of resources go to the wars and conquering territories instead of the people, and that could go on forever. Not many have the power to change things." He lightly placed a hand on his shoulder, staring directly at him.

"But you do. You have the chance to make a change, Keith, out of anyone else. You have the power to stop this, if you want to. If you gave power to the village they would rise with you, you are their only hope. As for how... I know It's easier said than done, but you give too much power to Lotor. I know you can beat him, make him respect you. No one else can do that but you..." 

He pursed his lips and let go of his shoulder. 

"Lotor has taken advantage of your absence and has been ordering people around as his own servants." He held his tongue for a moment, debating whether to proceed or not. 

"On my way here I found Lance striding away from Lotor, he looked... Pissed, somewhat humilliated. I can't tell him to stop... Your people need a fair leader, Keith. You have all the rights to surrender to your father's laws, no one could blame you... But it's up to you to stand up for them and yourself."

Keith's eyes snapped up at the mention of Lotor's actions during his absence, and they widened at the mention of Lance. 

"Lotor did what?" he sissed. Of course, now that Lance was back, Lotor would make his life difficult. He never liked it if people got away from him, even temporarily. Shiro... He may have a point. If he didn't stand up to Lotor, the man would continue to walk all over him for the rest of their lives together. 

It wasn't like he hadn't tried it before, but Lotor could physically overpower him, and mentally Keith had never been the strongest either. But he'd gotten better, he'd gotten stronger and more resistant to Lotor's endless tainting. He'd gotten older.

He looked at the ground with determination, silently making a plan about what to tell Lotor next time he saw him. 

"I will," he told Shiro. "He shouldn't have messed with Lance, nor any of my other people. Until we're married, they still don't belong to him." Keith was silently seething with rage. How dare that stupid Prince come walking in here like he owns the place, and how dare he treat Lance like that? 

"Besides, I don't think he can hate me any more. So it doesn't matter what I do, as long as I don't risk Lance." He thought quietly for a while, and then nodded to himself. "Yeah. I'll go right now." He stood up and turned back to Shiro. 

"I... Thanks. Also, I don't need to tell you this, but you can't tell anyone about me and Lance. No one. I do hope you and Adam figure it out." He gave Shiro another smile and hurried off, ready to confront Lotor and kick his ass, despite the fact he could barely stay on his feet.

Shiro watched him leave with a grin of pride on his face, feeling happy at his brother's change. He seemed more confident, more of a fighter. The lion he knew he was inside. 

He silently thanked him for listening and advicing him on Adam, and swore to never tell. It's not like he had anyone to do so, but if he did, he wouldn't, either.

He was ever so curious about his confrontation with Lotor, though. 


	32. Take That, Loturd

"A bit to your right... More, more, stop!" Romelle stood still, panting due to exhaustion as she pushed a big, fancy couch from side to side on the library. The sunbathed skin prince tilted his head and hummed thoughtfully, watching it's angle and composition with the rest of the room and deciding if it looked good. 

"Nope. Try that wall over there," he ordered the blonde, sighing before starting to push the heavy furniture across once again, her slim limbs not being adequate for such job. Not like it mattered, she did everything for her prince, from feeding him grapes and massaging him to carrying his stuff and other manual jobs that required speed like delivering letters and messages to the rest of the court. 

This wasn't new, and she couldn't help it either. She'd been a gift from the Queen for her son's sixteenth birthday, owned by him like one would a pet. A bird in a cage. No one could tell him to treat her differently, she was nothing but an object, a slave. She really hoped this castle's court wouldn't suffer the same faith. 

"Mm.... I don't like it. Move it to the previous wall." She could've thrown the couch in his face right there.

Lotor could have been anywhere in the Castle, but Keith was lucky to find him in one of the first rooms he looked. The library. He stopped in his tracks, his leather booths making a faded slipping sound, and took a moment to catch his breath. His stamina had really taken a dive in those two weeks without training or any type of movement. 

This was going to be difficult, but he couldn't give up. For Lance's sake, and for every other servant in this castle. He pushed open the doors and headed straight for the other Prince. He was ordering that poor girl around again, making her do stuff that could clearly have been done by others. 

"Prince Lotor," he said, announcing himself. "I'd like to have a word." At these words, the guards in the room took a step back and turned around, obligated to give them some privacy. The small girl also seized her attempts and hurried to a corner of the room, where she stood still. 

"I've been informed of your attitude regarding my servants, and would like to remind you that they are still not yours to order around, no matter how honoured a guest you are." He tilted his head up, feeling a bit of confidence sparking through him, like being Lance's hero for once, instead of the other way around. 

God, it felt good to speak back against this man. And normally, he would regret it as soon as Lotor struck back, but right now he didn't care what the other Prince thought of him, what he was gonna say.

On the other hand, the albino was completely taken aback by the sudden change of personality in him. Keith had always been rather submissive, a dummy he could push around with relative ease. 

He glared at him, challenging him, intimidating him, offering a second chance to think his own actions through, but Keith held his head high and glance firm. Something had clearly changed on that trip of his. Lotor couldn't know what, how or why, but what mattered was the present, and right now he was looking at a different type of person. A stronger, more confident version of Keith, perhaps the real Keith. 

"Hmph," he puffed before walking to sit on the fainting couch, cross legged and his elbow on the purple pillow to lean his cheek on his fist, grinning widely. The laid back pose indirectly showed Keith how, to Lotor, he wasn't a threat. That he didn't take him seriously or actually capable of something big. He was, in a way, being incredibly offensive. 

"Fancy seeing you here, Yorak," he greeted him, glancing at him down and up afterwards. "I see your dad felt pity and decided to go easy on you? Or perhaps he was just ashamed and didn't want to keep wasting his time on such hopeless failure," he mused with pride.

"Regarding your servants, as you well say, I am fully aware who they pledge loyalty to. However I was only starting to get them used to my mother's court system, so when the time comes and they do belong to me, they are ready. As you well have seen, prosperity takes... A bit more effort. They're just doing their jobs, but working harder, working as they should. They are earning food for a reason." 

The guards in the room couldn't help looking at each other, clenching their teeth or just sending him death threads in silence. 

"Plus? Some of your servants really are cheeky, Yorak. It's like they forget what they are, they misbehave, and someone needs to put them back in their place." He grinned even wider. 

Of course, he was talking about his recent encounter with one of his favourite servants in that court, the hunter boy. Lotor would be lying if he said interacting with him wasn't the most fun he'd had in years. He wasn't your everyday servant. He actually valued himself as a person, and showed it. All he wanted was to test his limits and make him explode, a real fight for once.

"You're welcome."

Keith connected the dots without difficulty. If anyone of their court was 'cheeky', it was Lance. An encounter with Lotor would explain his furious running off. But Lotor was wrong. Lance knew exactly who he was, and he would never be put back in place. 

"First of all," he started, his tone strong and unafraid, "My relationship with my father is none of your business." He took a few long strides so he could look down on Lotor like he'd never done before. 

"Secondly, my servants will never be yours. At most, they will be ours. We will rule together, and since this is my home, I forbid you to treat them like you have been in my absence. This isn't your mother's court, it is mine, and I will decide what happens in it." 

He was nearly blown away by his own audacity, but at the same time it felt right, felt like he should have done this years ago, that he'd always been capable of something like this. He wasn't even afraid of Lotor's response, whether in words or in an attack. He was prepared. 

Even though he didn't have any weapons, his body was the weakest it had ever been and he'd never beaten Lotor before. He knew he could do it. And if he failed, he wouldn't ask for mercy. He wouldn't give up. He'd beat Lotor's ass for Lance. 

"Besides, it's not called cheek when they insult you. It's called being honest, maybe you've never experienced that."

The moment Lotor saw the other prince approaching him, shortening their distance and looking down on him, he knew nothing would be the same again. He wasn't even entirely able to hide the shock In his expression no matter how hard he tried to mask it, and he couldn't avoid getting slightly tense at that somewhat imposing person - whoever it was, whatever it had done with the old Keith. 

He listened carefully, picking key words such as mine, never yours, together, home, I decide, but mostly? Forbid. 

His eyes got locked on his for a moment where he could almost feel the tension in the air, grinned with confidence and slowly got up to look at him from above. But Keith didn't quiver. 

"I shall admit you have some nerve to fight for your own and try and insult me," he revealed with real meaning behind, but a snort accompanied it as well. 

"But yet again, you are a fool to cross me and my mother's ruling ways. You seem to have forgotten who's actually considered a real prince. I can't help but feel bad for your kingdom if it will have you as it's ruler one day, easy going prince and laid back court. Oh, what would your father think?" He stilled. 

"What would the king think... If he knew you disapproved of my mother's, the neighbor kingdom's queen's actions. Her son's." Ah, brave when alone, but he didn't believe Keith was actually capable of taking this audacy outside the room. 

"I'd love to hear their thoughts, wouldn't you? How about we discuss this over dinner?" He snapped his fingers, making the blonde girl run over there again and continue her job as an indicator of their conversation being over, despite them still being face to face. 

"Oh, and Yorak? Don't contaminate yourself with peasants' senselessness..." he scowled at him, a shade in his eyes. "I liked you better when you stayed quiet."

Keith did his best, but he couldn't help but quiver at the mention of the king. What would his father think? He usually discouraged Keith speaking his mind, but wasn't it a good thing to stand up for your subjects? Well, they would find out soon enough. 

"Too bad it's not up to you," he spoke, his tone a little lower to make sure he wasn't overheard. "And I guess we'll see what my father thinks. Prepare to get thoroughly disappointed. I'd love to see that look on your face for once." 

He turned around and walked out, somehow both more furious and more satisfied than before. A part of him was desperate to get to Lance, to hear what Lotor had said to him, to seek comfort. But he couldn't. He couldn't be around Lance too much, not when his father was watching him so closely. 

And so instead, he made his way to the kitchens, to have the best breakfast he'd had in weeks. It was too late to get anything served in the dining room, but the cooks always had something for him if he asked. Perks of being the Prince. 

His boots echoed on the stone steps as he made his way down the stairs, each step crackling his weak body. It hurt, yeah. His wrists would be bruised for a few more days and the muscles in his arms and ankles were completely drained of energy from standing up night after night, the few nutrients he'd had having been used to heal his injuries. Well, not everything could be perfect. 

He slid down in a chair at one end of a long, wooden table, the only other person in the room being the large cook, who's name Lance had definitely mentioned once or twice. Hunk. It was Hunk. He didn't come here very often, usually just having his food delivered in his room if he didn't make it to breakfast, and he could see it by the way Hunk reacted to his presence.

"Good morning," he said, trying to sound less exhausted than he felt, trying to sound at least a little princelike. "Could I have something to eat, please?" 

Had he ever talked to servants like that before? Keith wasn't sure. Maybe Lance had taught him that, or maybe he just did it whenever no-one was around. It didn't matter. He was just so tired, and he had a full day of work ahead of him. He was expected the first lesson in less than half an hour.

As if it wasn't surprising enough to find the prince in flesh and bone walking on such commoners' place, the fact he'd greeted him and asked politely to be served almost blowed Hunk away. Lance had assured him the prince wasn't what he appeared to be and that he was a kind soul deep inside, but he was still trying to get used to the idea. 

"Good morning, your Royal Highness, right away," Hunk greeted him back with a kind smile, using the default name everyone was supposed to address him with and instantly got to work. 

With remaining materials from earlier that morning he had him ready pancakes with maple sauce, blueberries and strawberries - the prince's favourites. Hunk had to know everyone's tastes to accordingly prepare their meals, and he always had even the tiniest details in mind when cooking. 

He placed the dish on the table in front of the prince along raspberry cider, curtley and a napkin, all in quality presentation. "I hope it's to your liking, Prince Keith," the Samoan added on purpose while bowing, hinting at his knowledge of his hunter friend and him. 

He was the type of person everyone decided to share their secrets with, and as much quiet he was, watching people's reactions was always entertaining. In a way it could be considered as a test, too, since if Lance was right about the prince, his reaction wouldn't be too negative.

Keith's eyes widened a little, instantly noticing the name despite his weakened state, but then blushed a little and smiled. Lance was such a talker. He didn't really mind, he just prayed the boy was careful with whom he told. But he'd said Hunk was his best friend, right? So it was like telling Shiro. 

Anyway, it felt good to have someone call him by his preferred name, and it felt better to know Lance had thought that such an important detail that he'd told his friend. 

"Thank you," he spoke, meaning both for the meal and the name. And then he cut off a small part, his table manners still intact, and started eating. And god, was it good. For ten minutes, all he felt was total extasy, total pleasure. Hunk had always been a great cook, but to eat something like this after two weeks of near starvation was truly something else. A part of him almost wanted to cry of happiness, but that would have been deeply inappropriate. 

Besides, he didn't have a lot of time left, he needed to get back to his daily schedule. Duty didn't wait for anyone. His knife and fork were placed upon the plate once more and he pushed his chair back. 

"I enjoyed this," he said. "I.. I hope I wasn't any trouble to you." He wanted to be a better Prince? Well, why not start now? It would be a good beginning to just treat the staff with the same amount of respect he gave other royals. God knew they did a lot more than those useless princes and princesses. 

For a moment, Keith considered asking Hunk about Lance, but stopped himself. There was a limit, and talking about his love life with his cook definitely crossed it. 

So he hurried out of the kitchens, back up the stairs and to the west wing of the Castle, where his tutor would be waiting for him for a lesson in social studies. And then history. And then diplomacy. He brushed through his hair until it vaguely resembled something decent, and opened the door to his first lesson.

Hunk just watched the prince as he ran off, easily noticing his inner shifts between what he wanted to do and what he was supposed to do, and couldn't help giggling at the thought he looked like he was about to ask him something. Most likely something regarding Lance. Hell, what lovebirds. 

Something that had also gotten him by surprise was him saying he'd enjoyed the food, all those years of cooking for the royal families he hadn't been directly praised as such. It felt... so goddamn nice. 

"No trouble at all, Prince Keith," he murmured to himself with a smile on his face, taking note of the prince having his feelings into consideration and turned to clean and end his morning shift.  
Yeah, for now, Keith had his approval.

\-------------------------

Once more like almost every night, the cook stood still in the big dining room to presence the royal family In front of him enjoying his meal. At this point he wasn't afraid, he was confident about his skills and knew he would not get complains any time soon. 

He glanced at the brunette by his side, whose arms were clenched and his foot tapped on the floor constantly as a sign of his underlying anger. It was to be expected, after the neighbor prince had humilliated him in front of plenty other guards and maids. At this rate probably the entire castle knew, since rumours didn't take long to spread. 

He hadn't shared a word with Hunk, but the way he'd dropped the pheasants on his kitchen after returning from his hunt, how he'd looked more dirty and bruised than usual - indicating he'd acted much more recklessly than not while hunting - was enough for Hunk to get how he actually felt. 

The impotence of being unable to fight back was probably the worst thing of their job, to stand still and quiet, do nothing but obey. The cook was used to dealing with it, as he enjoyed his job and most of the times people appreciated his work. For Lance it was different, he guessed, since people often disparaged his work and no one really took him seriously - one of the things Lance most hated. 

Hunk was so focused on his friend he almost didn't notice the weird tension coming from the dining table, where the royals sat in complete silence.  
But of course, a royal dinner between two families couldn't go as one would want it to.

Keith's two week absence had been noticed by the Castle, and the state he was in now sent looks of shock and open mouths through every room he stepped into. What had they expected? That he'd held a two week long teaparty? 

Some people had seemed so close to speaking about it, to asking him what had happened. But no one did. Not that Keith would have answered them, it was between his father and him. And the servants could guess who was responsible for his appearance. Who but the king had rights like this, rights that he'd been abusing for years now? 

After his classes, which hadn't been too hard to focus on, he was supposed to go training. He'd never been this bad. His body was weak, trembling with every attack and unable to move quickly enough to block Shiro's, who was obviously taking pity on him and slowing down. 

Luckily, they'd been alone the entire time. No one had seen. It would take time to rebuild some of his muscles, to rebuild his stamina, and when that moment came he'd have to work even harder, be better. 

He couldn't help but worry about Lance throughout the day, so when dinner came, he allowed himself one glance in the direction of the hunter. And boy, did he look pissed. But the Prince could see no physical damage, except a few bruises that had probably come from hunting, so he breathed out with relief. 

His head turned head again quickly, careful to not let anyone see, and looked at Lotor instead. This would certainly be an eventful dinner.

Likewise, the albino prince returned the challenging glare, filled by the usual sparks of electricity that gathered through the day and striked at night when dinner arrived. 

Looking back, he guessed he'd never ever liked Keith. The desire to bring him down and put him in his place was in his nature, since not many people dared to oppose to his sayings, and the ones who did didn't live to tell the tale. 

In summary, Keith's status was the only wall that kept Lotor from truly teaching him respect once and for all. For now, he'd have to settle with getting the king doing it for him. 

"Your majesty?" he spoke once the king and his mother were silent, loud and firm. "I apologize in advance if it's not of your liking, but Prince Yorak and I had come across a disagreement earlier this morning and decided to have a piece of your experienced advise if possible." 

Good, polite, refined. He let down his fork, remembering what he'd practiced to say that afternoon. 

"As you might be aware of, our people from Arus are non-stop hardworkers, who would break their loins without a doubt, if that meant benefit for the greater good. Our method is efficient, therefore I took the liberty to prepare a part of the court with progressive efforts to secure a complete successful service in the future, when Prince Yorak and I take the reins of this kingdom, of course."

Hunk nearly rolled his eyes at this. 'Progressive' wouldn't be the word. His entire cooking team was a mess since the guards and maids weren't free to have their meals, and lots of food was being wasted since they barely had time to eat, too. 

If it was true that the amount of work Lotor demanded could improve a few aspects in the kingdom, the cons to the actual servants were much bigger and not worth the extra chores. It was complete madness, and for once, Hunk felt truly lucky to be part of that court and not Queen Honerva's. 

"However, Prince Yorak seems to disagree with our visionary ideas. You might want to hear what he has to say." At this, the king's eyebrows rised slightly in surprise. Surprise that his son had actually spoken his mind to the older prince. He glance down at him, letting his wine down and looking at him with genuine curiosity beneath that stern expression.

"Actually, I do," he gave him the word. The queen also raised an eyebrow, taken aback by the prince openly admitting not to agree with her methods of managing her court and concerned regards the motives.

The many eyes in the room upon him made Keith's hair stand on end. In the past, he'd always avoided attention, from both his own court and other royalty, but he could run from it no longer. If he got punished for speaking his mind, so be it. The Prince knew it was the right thing to do. And besides, it would make Lance proud.

"Prince Lotor has understood correctly. I deeply disagree with his methods." He didn't avert his eyes this time, but they flitted to Lotor while saying his name, before falling back to his father. 

"Not only do I believe it to be wildly ineffective in a perfectly functioning court, his way of keeping order is simply cruel. Look around, father. These servants look like they haven't slept, haven't eaten, and such things cause mistakes we can't afford right now." He took a deep breath to calm his voice again, forcing the pure indignation back to stay reasonable, unemoted. 

"Besides, it was you who taught me to look out for my people. And these servants Lotor has been so harshly mistreating and disrespecting are my people."

Keith hadn't thought of what he was going to say before that moment. It wasn't necessary, he just had to speak his mind. And speak his mind he did.

"Prince Lotor has no right to make any changes regarding our disaplinary methods, nor anything else, without my consent. And as he has not received this, I expect him to step down from the pedestal he's made for himself and work with me, instead of behind my back."

The Prince was nearly panting at the end of his speech, feeling more powerful than he'd ever done before. To just.. say things like that, in front of Lotor, in front of his father, that was new. Very new. 

He gave his father a short nod, a sign he was done talking, and looked back at Lotor. It was difficult to keep in a smile when he saw the look on that man's face, Keith had never seen him so shocked before, he might have had a calmer expression had Keith suddenly started dancing on the table. He just gave the other Prince a small smirk. The Kings face was unreadable, like always, and only time could tell who had won this little fight.

What could be said of such debate? Not only Lotor, but the guards and maids were all speechless, and their expressions grazed a newfound feeling close to... Admiration. It was unfamiliar, to find the prince they'd been considering careless, imposing and cruel all these years, now somewhat caring, actually willing to fight for his people. The prince truly cared, enough to not only stand up to other prince, but a queen. 

Honerva, unlike the king, was an open book when it came to emotions. She was so used to never being questioned that this almost felt like an offense, but she wasn't blind enough to not see the younger prince could be right. 

She would never mess with the king's methods, as well as he respected hers. Her son had crossed trust boundaries when they weren't even married yet. Perhaps she should talk to him later, after the king - who seemed to be deep in thought - gave his verdict.

The albino felt the seconds go by at a tediously slow pace, where he started to question what his answer would be. Zarkon never took that long to reply, and despite his expression being a mystery to everyone, this time it slightly showed glimpses of a feeling, unknown to the rest. 

He saw his hazel eyes travel from his son to him once more, and the look he recieved? It sent shivers down his spine. Why? What was happening? He'd never looked at him like this before, like he was almost discontent. Disappointed? God please no. He couldn't have that. That would mean his mother would be mad at him, that he wouldn't be a good prince. That was all he was. What good would he be for, then?

"Prince Lotor." At this, the young man seemed to sink on his seat, looking at the king while trying to hide his shock. "I see ambition and progressivism in your actions, and I will not interfere with Arus' labor management." His gaze suddenly turned stern. 

"But I shall stop you from going any further with the play to be king thing you have going on. Prince Yorak is indeed right, we believe good results require good shapes, a mistreated servant is as useless as the benefits the kingdom may gain with it, and my army must be ready to take action in all times. We have more people in our court, therefore extra work is unnecessary here. And last, my son is right once again, you are not allowed to abuse the trust I place upon you. I expect you to be the great ruler you can be, and such actions are nearly outrageous."

Lotor, agape and losing his characteristic calm and confident composture, hurried to desperately defend himself. "B-By no means I am trying to disrespect your system, your majesty, I just thought-" 

The king glared at him, sharp and menacing, and the prince instantly lowered his gaze. He had spoken out of turn. What was wrong with him? He wasn't five anymore, his mother would never forgive him...! He already felt her deadly glare on his nape and her yells in his ears, the slaps on his cheeks. How? How could he, after years of training, be this wrong?

Zarkon then glanced at his son with approval behind his eyes, letting see how surprised and proud he felt for standing his ground like a true ruler. "Perhaps you should take a thing or two from my son."

He then resumed the dinner, starting a conversation with the queen like nothing had ever happened. Lotor had lost his appetite, but forced himself out of his frozen shell of ice and continued eating, head lowered as he dared no longer to look at the other prince again. He doubted he could stand any more humilliation.

And what about Lance? He'd gotten out of his anger bubble, pulled by his prince's outstanding speech that left everyone, including him, frozen. He could've never expected that to happen so early, specially not right after being freed from his harsh punishment. But Keith had actually fought for his beliefs, for his people, for what he believed was right.

And Lance couldn't be more proud. Not only that, but he couldn't help but think Keith was defending him once more, him out of all people, against the greater villains. He could've run to squeeze him and thank him endlessly with how bright his heart was beaming right now. No one had ever done such thing for him and god. He couldn't stop the soft smile that spread on his lips, his anger dissipating to leave place to that warm feeling of affection again.

A glow filled Keith completely like it had never done before. He seemed to radiate confidence, control, float on a cloud of long overdue authority. He had stood up for what he believed in, and he'd won. He'd won. A few days ago, he wouldn't have thought it possible. 

A strong force attempted to pull his eyes towards Lance, to share this wonderful feeling with him, but he didn't meet his eyes. It wasn't safe, people could see. And so he gently bit his lip to stop the outrageous smile, lighting up his features, and gave Lotor a small nod. 

The man didn't look... angry. It was more of a shock, a confusing in his eyes. In his wildest dreams, Lotor couldn't have imagined being bested by the smaller, weaker, insignificant Prince. And now that he had, the man didn't know what to do with it.

The food had never tasted this sweet, and Keith found himself getting totally lost in thought as, for the first time ever, the subject at the dinnertable wasn't his failures. He'd done something right. He'd made his father proud, truly proud. He'd stood up to Lotor after years of silent hatred. And now, he could enjoy everything his position had to offer. The world seemed just the littlest bit brighter now that victory was actually something achievable. At last.

And tonight, he had some time to himself. Since he'd finished all the paperwork he was allowed to take care of in the last two weeks, he didn't have any work to do like usual. He could just stay in his room, go to bed early perhaps. Sleep. 

Or, if he was lucky, a certain blue eyed boy would visit his tower again, and Keith and he could relish in his victory together. Lance would be so proud. The only thing the Prince wished for now was the ability to look at Lance, to see his face without the fear of consequences. What he wouldn't give to lay his eyes on those gorgeous features, to get lost in those endless eyes...

Likewise, the hunter wanted nothing more but to have the prince in his arms again. He didn't expect him to look, but happily watched him as he finished his dinner and the royals stood up to leave the room, exchanging a glance or two with the blonde to his side. 

The unusual glimmer in her eyes indicated she was in total admiration, like most servants in the room, for the other prince, and Lance didn't question it. Romelle had been Lotor's servant since a very young age, her parents erased in battle, leaving her as an orphan. She didn't even have surnames. That would mean loyalty to someone else, and the Queen wanted her son to own her completely. 

For someone as unlucky and chained as her, watching a fair prince putting her own in place and getting away with it should be one of a lifetime thing. Lance knew she would've changed princes right there if she could. 

And as for him? A big part of him felt extremely relieved, hoping that Keith's actions would become the trending topic between the castle walls instead of how Lotor had offended him that afternoon.


	33. How To Be A Whore

Once night arrived and stars glittered the sky along the new moon, the brunette did his usual procedure of changing his clothes into darker ones to blend with the castle and waited for the right guard's shift to start climbing. 

He would've lied if he said he wasn't physically and mentally tired, his energy drained by Lotor's extra commands those past few days, his skin bruised as the result of a boar dragging him through the ground. He felt heavier than usual - product of his arms being overworked - and there were a few times he thought he would fall the tallest tower or wouldn't reach the top.

But he was moved by his longing to see his lover once again. This time, he wouldn't have to chain him before leaving, wouldn't feel his heart tighten in his chest and stress all day over the condition his prince could be in. Things would finally be ok, the world would finally have mercy on them.

By the time he reached the balcony he felt exhausted, panting lightly as his feet finally touched the floor again. He felt his arms could literally fall off, but the climb was worth every second. 

He lowered his mask, peeked in and slowly stepped in the dark room, his blue eyes trying hard to catch any glimpse of his lover with such lack of light. The inner anxious part of him made him stay alert, uneasy of the ambush that could take place any day if they ever found out of his night visits.

Keith had been waiting for him ever since dinner, too anxious to step out of his room for even a second. He skipped his evening bath and just sat down on the small table, to draw to his hearts content. 

He'd won. The thought wouldn't leave his mind. For the first time in his life, he was actually drawing himself. Something small, of course. Not like the millions of Lances which filled the previous pages. No, he'd drawn himself smiling softly, finally fully happy with his life. He'd get there, eventually. 

When a soft scuffling from outside pierced his ears, he stood up and extinguished his lamp. Lance was almost there. 

Oh how Keith wanted to wrap him in his arms, tell him all about what he'd done. Well, Lance had been there, of course. But still, he'd love to tell him again. 

He snuck into the shadows beside the balcony and watched as the mysterious thief stepped into his room. The other man hadn't taken two steps before Keith swept in and wrapped his arms around him from behind, hoping to surprise him.

At Lance's reaction, he giggled as quietly as he could. Even though there was no one on this floor, the chance of guards passing by was too big to take such a risk as making too much sound.

"Did you see me?" he asked excitedly, as the soft smell Lance always carried filled his nostrils, forest and leather and something sweet. "Did you see me at dinner? I was.." He sighed contently.

"I finally did it. I stood up to Lotor, as you asked." Lance was so comfortable, but eventually let him go, so the boy could turn around and look at him. He missed those eyes.

The tan boy took a moment to relax again, the surprise hug having made him yelp quietly and shake a little, sighing deeply at his prince's heartwarming giggle afterwards. 

Hell, he'd fallen for the same trick twice - first time being the one he'd first visited Keith and had almost gotten hit with an iron poker -, he should've known already, or at least expect it. 

He let himself stew on the feeling of that hug and his lover's arms, the gentle sound of his voice and such joyful tone that came with it, softly smiling along. 

As he turned around he lowered his hoodie, took a brief moment to process Keith wasn't chained anymore but happily stood next to the moonless sky instead and took his waist, lifting him and spinning with him over and over, softly laughing along before putting him back down. 

"How could I not see you?" he asked, sharing his excitement in the shape of a bright smile. 

"I'm always seeing you... You were amazing, my love. I wish you could've seen it from the court's perspective. Everyone was so speechless, and I'm sure people see you with an entirely different light." He beamed. 

Perhaps when the time came, his servants would stand by his side and fight with him. What Keith had done at dinner was far from a small family dispute. It was a small step to change everything. 

"You were strong, capable, and mostly..." He took his hand to his cheek, caressing it softly as his eyes shone with emotion. "You stood up for us, fought for what's right, believed in yourself, you were... really brave. My hero." He chuckled slightly, despite fully meaning what he'd said. Keith had saved him from Lotor's cruelty, again. 

"You have no idea what this means... To all of us, but specially to me. Thank you, my prince." He then leaned to press a kiss to his forehead, taking in the familiar cinnamon scent of his hair. 

Keith's smile slowly widened even more than he thought possible. He reached for Lance's hands and swung them around loosely in his own. 

"I just... I confronted Lotor this morning, told him I wanted him to stop, and he said he'd ask the king about it. And he did." His eyes shone with pride, with happiness. 

"And then my father just agreed with me. I was right, Lance. I was right." He pressed his face into Lance's chest and grinned widely. This feeling would take a long time to leave him, maybe it never would. 

He lifted his head up again and pressed his lips hard to the other boy's. A warm feeling spread through him, shaking his core and turning his insides in the best way. 

It was different than before. The first few times they'd kissed, it always felt like Lance was giving him something. Something so incredibly warm and sweet and generous. 

But right now, they truly shared the kiss. The warm feeling was already inside of Keith. He felt it flow through his lips, heat up the other boy, and in return Keith felt Lance's warmth as well. It was equal. 

He set his hands to Lance's chest and pushed him back slowly, until he had him pinned to the wall. It had only been a little more than a day, and he already craved that sweet kiss like it was the only thing giving him life. 

After a few moments, he pulled back, panting softly and opening his eyes to meet those sparkling blue ones. This must be what true happiness felt like. 

"I'm sorry," he chuckled. "I just... I needed that. Badly." And then he was quiet, just staring at Lance and smiling softly, feeling warm and content, something he wasn't really familiar with, except for those previous moments with Lance. But he'd never felt it this strongly before.

"You don't see me complaining," Lance replied at his boyfriend's half apology with an amused grin, holding his waist and taking a second before reconnecting their lips again. 

His heart still raced, loving how Keith had taken the initiative and boldly pushed him to the wall with true hunger. A hunger Lance wanted to share, in a way. 

He was mostly exhausted, tired and emotionally drained since lots of things had happened that day, during those two weeks, but right now... He didn't want them to matter. Right now, he was with his prince, and everything would be okay. 

He kissed him slowly, cooling down their previously heated making out session and coming to a full stop, raising both hands and tightly embrace him afterwards. 

He just stood there, allowing Keith's warmth spread through his body and the calming feeling of having him so close envelop him completely, his body rising and lowering slightly with each breath.

And to his surprise, he hugged him for longer than he'd intended.

Why? What was he missing? Things were looking up, his lover was finally happy. Happier than ever, at least, and he expected him to celebrate. To be happy for him. Which he was. Was he not happy enough? What else was he forgetting? 

"I.... I'm very happy you're not... chained anymore. Finally," he murmured, unconciously tightening his embrace. "You held on, I'm so proud of you."

But he still didn't let him go, and his breathing started to accelerate. Perhaps deep down a part of him sought comfort too? 

It had been two weeks of full work, day and night, constantly making sure his prince would be as well as he could in such situation, skipping how he himself had been actually feeling. He didn't want to bother Keith with his own emotional weight as he had plenty already, but this time he wasn't sure he could ignore it much longer.

Keith completely relaxed in his arms, feeling like he could fall asleep right there. But there was something in Lance's embrace, in his tense posture that just wasn't quite right. Maybe Keith was imagining things, and maybe Lance was carrying some sort of weight, besides the boy in his arms. 

Keith pushed back, still not letting go of Lance completely but laying his hands loosely in his neck. Yes, there was definitely something up. What could it be about? 

Well, there was of course someone who had wronged Lance, who had made him storm off angrily, occording to Shiro. 

"Baby?" he asked carefully. "I.. I heard you got into a disagreement with Lotor this morning too. Can you tell me about it?" He pressed a soft, encouraging kiss to Lance's jaw and then let him to completely, taking a step back to give him space. 

It had to be incredibly frustrating to be a servant, to have to listen to people like Lotor all day, to follow their orders. Keith had of course disagreed and even fought with the Prince on several occasions, but he had the right to fight. He wouldn't be hanged for raising his voice. 

Things were different for Lance. And he knew exactly how Lotor liked to take advantage of that power difference. 

Well, whatever that man had done, Keith had out him in his place tonight. What Lance would say just determined how hard he'd deserved it, and whether Keith should have done something worse. He could always do more tomorrow. 

The pure hatred flooding out of Lance's eyes warned Keith of the severity of the subject. Or maybe it was just how Lance hated to be ordered by such an ass, or even in general maybe. The boy certainly hadn't liked listening to Keith before they got together. 

But the least Keith could do was listen, and maybe get some well deserved revenge for his boyfriend. Yeah, that would be nice.

At the question the hunter widened his eyes, frozen in fear. Keith had heard? Were the rumours that strong? Strong enough to reach the prince? What exactly had he heard? Did he believe it? 

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, troubled, as he took his hands and walked so they could sit on the bed. Once there he took a shaky breath, parted his lips and relived the events of that morning:

..........

"I bathed your horse, polished it's mane, bathed your cat, fed her and brushed her fur as you asked, your magnificence." Lance had tried not to spiy at the albino prince, his uniform wet, full of fur and his hands and arms full of scratches. 

Surprisingly, washing the horse had been way easier than washing Kova, which was something he wished he'd never have to go through again.

"Excellent. Good job, hunter boy," the blue eyed prince replied, stopping Lance as he saw he was about to leave by taking his arm. 

The servant was clearly taken aback, as well as the other servants in that room. Royalty never made physical contact with people below them except in two particular cases, one of them included punishment, and the other... 

"Not so fast, Leandro, there's something I want to propose to you." The boy already feared the next order. Would he ask him to hunt a bear this time? He'd been asked to hunt and fish all types of crazy animals those two weeks. What now?

But no order could be worse than what Lotor did afterwards. He pulled Lance closer, too close, and lay an arm on his hip, grinning widely. 

Lance paled, paralyzed in a mixture of both shock and fear. Real fear for whatever the prince was thinking on doing. Fear because whatever he did, Lance wouldn't be able to stop him. So he just stared at him, feeling all eyes of that room on him. 

"I have been informed of your mother's sickness and your... financial situation." Lance's eyes twitched for just a second. 

"As your future king, I would like to give my favourite hunter a solution for his problems so he's less worried and more focused on work. I happen to have been informed as well of your... services."

Lance felt cold. Very, cold. Eyes wide along a nervous smile, his breath hitched in his throat. What...? "I... I think you misheard, Prince Lotor, I don't... I'm-I'm not-"

"A slut? Oh, but you are," the prince stated loud and clear, and Lance's heart stopped. "I mean, I've heard of everyone on this court about your playboy behaviour, in and outside the castle, some have even shared their experiences. Does that not make you a slut? A whore?"

Lance started shaking, his insides twisting painfully as his blood pumped loud in his ears and his sight blurred, the world turning darker, him catching the murmurs of the guards and maids and every fucking person in that goddamn room. 

Why was this happening? Hadn't Lotor had enough fun with him already? Saying these things out loud was clearly on purpose. Did he want to ruin his reputation? Did he want everyone looking down on him? 'Cause they would. Hell, they already did. 

In less than two minutes, a prince had degraded him from a respectful hunter to an easy sexual companion. But some people already thought that, right? He felt cold sweat run down his skin, his mind and senses all over the place. 

He hadn't noticed he'd lowered his head until the prince's fingers lifted his chin. He literally wanted to throw up. To cry, to run away. Everything but stay there with that man. 

"Oh, don't feel bad for facing the truth, I've heard you're quite good at what you do and that should be admired. Here is my offer; be my personal companion, and all of your financial debts will disappear. I will sustain your family and provide all the medical attention your mother needs. How does that sound? I think it's way more than a good deal, something you will never get from anyone else. I'm not asking much. Well, nothing you haven't given to lots of people already." 

He grinned, lowering his hands to the hunter's bottom. But before he could fully do anything he was pushed away.

It was an accident. A reflex. Before he realized it Lance was already taking a step back, but stopped at Lotor's angry scowl. Had he just-? -

"God, I-I deeply apologize, your magnificence," he rushed to say with a bow, his fists bowling. 

"...But I do not want your money, and I am not a whore. Please understand." He slowly looked up, finding the prince looking at him as if awaiting something, a better apology to avoid getting hit. 

"B-but... I'm truly thankful... for your humble offer, your highness," Lance managed to say between his gritted teeth. The albino then motioned for him to stand, his grin once again on his face.

"Playing hard to get, huh, maybe you find this exciting. I have more than one way to make you give yourself to me, Leandro." Lance felt sick to his stomach. 

"But don't go around offering your services to the rest when you have declined my proposal, I will know. You may retire."

The hunter wasn't sure if he was red in anger or in embarrassment. Maybe both. He instantly strode away, walking past the people who were now thinking wrongly of him. His blood boiled, his eyes were filled with tears. He felt so offended... Humilliated...! Disgusted from where Lotor's hands had been.

Disgusted with himself.

Because not even the holiest water could wash away the trace of all the hands that had once layed on his body.

..........

And back to the present, he still did. Once he finished telling the events to his lover his lips shook, he hang his head low and embraced himself for some kind of self compassion. Because... 

"Worst thing...?" he murmured, his eyes watering once more. "Lotor's right... I... I just- I just wanted to be loved... W-Wanted.." A tear fell and his voice broke. 

"B-But after they got what they wanted, t-they left....!" Another tear. "I-I'm-!" Easy. Disgusting. A whore. 

The rumors were true, and everyone was right. Lotor had just stated the facts, and he had all the right to treat him as such, because that's what he was. 

Right now he was so locked up in his bubble he couldn't even comprehend why Keith had stayed. Why he wanted him. Everyone threw him away, eventually. Tossed him around like a doll. He wouldn't be surprised if Keith did the same.

"I'm going to kill him," was all Keith said at first. "I'm going to choke him until he doesn't breathe anymore." 

A fury had taken hold of him. How dare he? How dare he lay his hands on a servant like that, and specifically on Lance? 

Keith knew, of course, that many royals made such deals with their servants to get a little action on the side, but he had somehow always thought Lotor wouldn't. Why? Because he'd grown up with him? Because he assumed Lotor didn't want such things? 

He'd been wrong. Lotor may be the worst of them all, the sheer joy he took from public humiliation of others. He knew Lotor had asked Lance in the middle of others because he wanted to embarrass Lance, to call him... those things, in front of others. 

Keith growled to himself. What was stopping him from storming out of here right now, burst into Lotor's room and beat him until he died? Keith sprang up to his feet and took a step. 

But then he stopped, when the broken voice of the other boy penetrated his fury. He turned back around and nearly broke at the sight of Lance. He couldn't kill Lotor yet, he needed to calm his love first. 

He slid to his knees, and took Lance's hands in his own, still shaking in anger, but his eyes filled with empathy and his voice softer and gentler than he'd expected.

"Hey, baby. I know.. I know there are a lot of terrible people in the world. So many.." 

He closed his eyes for a second, forcing himself to focus on the other and not on the image of closing his hands around that disgusting, albino neck. But then he met Lance's eyes again and went on.

"But you can't let them win. I don't know everything that has happened to you, and I'm willing to listen if you want to tell me, but you don't have to. All I know is that I love the most amazing, most perfect boy I've ever layed eyes on, and that his past doesn't define him. Even though I would rather have you all to myself, your past partners don't make you any less valuable to me, nor to the people that really matter." 

He pressed a kiss to Lance's knuckles, hoping his words made at least the slightest difference. He couldn't let Lance think so badly of himself, especially since it was Lotor's fault he had these thoughts.

"Everyone wants to feel loved, it's only natural. I want to be, and I've had the privilege of being loved by you in the last few weeks. And I-" His words were broken by a smile. 

"I've never been happier. You might have made some mistakes, but that's only human." Lance had spent so much time reminding him it was okay to be human, that he'd forgotten it himself. 

"If you want to.. be intimate with people, then you are allowed to. It doesn't make you a slut, and definitely not a whore. Lotor had-" He growled softly at the mention of the Prince. 

"-absolutely no right to treat you like that. If he ever so much as touches you again, or makes you feel uncomfortable, you can run away. I'll handle Lotor, I feel like I can do that now. Like I said today, he has no right to disrespect my servants in any way, without my consent. And I will never give him my consent again." 

He raised Lance's hands to his lips and held them close. 

"Is there anything else I can do for you, baby?" he whispered. Anything besides squeezing the daylight out of that asshole. Keith had already decided in his mind, but he didn't tell Lance about it. The boy might freak out again.

Lance was still somewhat processing his lover's words, the meaning and truth on them. 

At one point of the conversation tears had started rolling down his face, and due to having both hands held he couldn't swipe them away. Surprisingly no sound, no sobbing nor wimper came along with them. Just silent, empty tears of self disdain and insecurities, quiet enough to allow him to listen to what the prince had to say. 

He doubted he'd ever tell Keith about his past relationships- if they could even be considered as such. He wished he could forget about them, burry them deep so no one, not even himself could find them again. 

But... Did that really matter? Keith reassured him he didn't mind them. That he somehow still saw him with the same eyes. 

He'd been so self-absorbed that he felt nothing at Lotor's name. Perhaps it was product of overthinking things all day that had eventually caused him to forget who the real enemy was, and Keith's obvious anger reminded him of it. 

And so, after repeating himself Keith was right, that no one- not even a prince, had right to treat him that degrading way, that he wasn't anything Lotor had called him, he gently let go of Keith's hands to wrap his arms around him, this time more loosely and relaxed. 

"Just... Stay." He whispered in return, wiping his cheeks. "Stay with me until sunrise. That's all I want." He mantained the hug a little longer, before adding; "Although some cuddles would be nice."

With a small chuckle, he let him go and cupped his cheeks, dedicating him a small, weak smile. 

"...There's no use on crying over spilled milk, amor. I'm fine, don't be mad." Keith had all the reasons to be, although Lance would never know just how angry he would get. 

"Not right now, at least. You already taught him a lesson earlier, remember?" he murmured calmly in hopes of cooling him down as well. He was tired of being angry. It made his head hurt, made him say things he normally wouldn't say, and right now it wasn't the time for that. He didn't want Lotor to get in their way more than he had to.

Keith got up from the floor, a soft smile on his face, and leaned into Lance's touch for a moment, closing his eyes. How could this boy make him feel so.. good? 

But no matter what Lance said, he would continue to be mad. Furious. Lotor had tried to bed his lover, to bribe him into sleeping with him. He'd heard of Lance's desperation on financial matters and had immediately cornered him with a disgusting request. How dare he? 

But now Keith thought about it, he couldn't just walk up to Lotor, confront him and beat the shit out of him. The Prince would wonder how he knew, where he'd heard, why he cared. Keith could only order Lotor to back off from his servants, but he'd already done that. 

And technically, Lotor wasn't allowed a concubine as an engaged royal. Not that that stopped other people he knew. 

But right now, Lance needed his comfort more than he needed Lotor's pain. Keith could postpone his revenge a little, just until Lance was safe and happy again. 

But if he saw the Prince even look at his boyfriend again, he'd challenge him in the spot, no matter how big the risk of defeat. 

He pulled Lance up from the bed and towards his wardrobe, which was a separate room. 

"My back has mostly healed, but I can't pull up my shirt yet." His arm was totally okay, the skin a lighter tone than the rest of him and a little stiff, but didn't cause him pain. His back was... mostly alright. It only heard when he moved in a weird way, like today during training, and I was still hard to bend or pull up his arms completely. 

"Can you help me?" he asked, spinning around to face the boy. It was a little darker in here, though a few candles sent warm light cascading over the many embroided vests and cloaks on one side, and clean, white shirts and shiny shoes on the other. 

He had way too many clothes, in his own opinion. But still, there was something nice about being able to wear a different outfit every day for a year. Besides, he needed different things for different occasions. He couldn't wear riding boots at an official visit, nor ball clothes at a court meeting. 

There were many rules, which he'd been drilled in since he was little. It was crucial to dress appropriately in every situation. 

He pulled the buttons of his vest loose one by one, and then raised his arms, asking Lance to help him with his shirt.

The brunette took a moment to admire with bright eyes the bunch of endless fancy clothing in that wardrobe- room? My god. 

Everything sparkled along the candles' light, and Lance didn't know the name of many of those clothing pieces, never had seen them before, either. Servants weren't allowed near balls or special occasions except guards and waiters, perhaps personal servants like Romelle. 

Lance was impacted. Someone like him could never even dream of having such expensive silk on his hands, and a single one of those luxuries could easily pay at least three months of their rent. Perhaps even more.

But Lance had no desire to take it nor trying them on. He felt like him and that world of luxuries were universes apart. They didn't match. They couldn't be paired together, ever. He himself in the prince's room looked like he'd come from a different reality. 

When he heard Keith's voice he turned to see him, his adorable position making him smile softly. Keith was so utterly, stunningly, mesmerizingly beautiful, elegant and charming in all his grace. 

He did fit right in. He was destined to be a prince, and Lance couldn't picture him in any other background that didn't fill his needs and pampered him with riches, because he deserved to have the best, most comfortable life, live between cotton like a precious porcelain doll.

And so he took Keith's shirt and helped him take it off as gently as he could to avoid hurting him, doing the same with his boots, socks and pants and reached for a long night gown as Keith asked him to. It was simple, white and long with a braided design on the neck and sleeve ends. It reminded Lance more of a fancy blouse, and it was incredibly soft to the touch. 

After helping his lover putting it on he lifted him off the ground - princess style because that's how extra he was - and walked to lower him on the bed. That big ass bed, full of unnecessary pillows. 

At least now they could properly sleep on the bed without the fear of messing up the blankets too much and give away Keith had slept there instead of being chained. Thankfully those days were over. 

He took off his mask, cloak, satchel, boots, all his tools and weapons before walking to the other side of the bed and crawling on it, under the blankets. The comfiness of it never stopped surprising him. 

He thought on taking his garnet shirt off, but Keith could notice the scar on his back and ask him about it, and the mood going down again wasn't something Lance wanted. Or maybe Keith already had noticed, but preferred not to ask. That was another option, too. 

The hunter didn't ask questions about the prince's tiny scars because he guessed they all came from the same person he'd rather not name, but maybe things were better that way.

Keith shivered slightly as he was layed in the bed. He actually got to sleep here tonight. 

Sure, he'd slept in bed for a few hours most nights in the past weeks, due to Lance, but he hadn't been allowed to. The fear of being caught had taken away his ability to get a good night's sleep most of the time. But now, now he couldn't do anything he wanted. He could peacefully fall asleep in his lovers arms. 

Keith was exhausted. To pick up his regular schedule and training after two weeks of turture had been nearly too much for his body, and he hoped to quickly regain his stamina, before his father saw how pathetic he looked during fighting lessons. 

He rolled over to face Lance and smiled softly. How was it possible, that after weeks of being together, the sight of him still gave him that much happiness? And he couldn't wipe that stupid grin off his face, no matter how hard he tried. 

"Hey, baby," he smiled. He wondered if Lance was still hung up on the whole Lotor situation. Why was he so difficult to read? Lance could hide his emotions from everyone, even Keith. But how to find them, and how to fix it? 

He scooted a little closer and reached for Lance's chest, gently tracing his fingers over his shirt. Why was he still wearing a shirt? It would be more comfortable to take it off. Hmm, well maybe Lance liked it better this way. 

His eyes found Lance's again and his grin twitched, amazed by how gorgeous he looked. As always. 

"How are you feeling?" he whispered, like there were guards just out the door, trying to listen in. 

"I swear I'll protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you." It didn't matter if it was Lotor, a guard, a servant or the goddamn king. Lance was safe in his arms. "I'll protect you," he repeated softly. 

He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Lance's jaw, it being the only thing he could reach, despite the fact they were laying down. No one would harm Lance again. He'd make sure of it.

Lance had his eyes fixed on him, having been entranced by one thing after another; one smile, one touch, one tender kiss. 

His hands had enveloped Keith's back as he spoke, unable to stop the soft pink flush reaching his cheeks at his long, long stare. 

It's not like he himself didn't spend his time staring at the prince, all over his beautiful being, soft face and enchanting gaze, but Keith's expression was so warm... And it was directed to him, and only him. And he couldn't look away or do anything that wasn't staring back and letting him warm him in that cold night. 

He was only brought back to reality when he mentioned his feelings, taking him slightly off guard. Was he looking sad? Maybe his pupils betrayed his overthinking. 

Then Keith stated he would defend him from any dangers, which, to Lance's eyes, sounded adorable. He was pretty sure he could protect himself, and he was the one that had, and would, protect Keith.

But on second thought, they'd saved each other, one way or another. He guessed Keith meant it in a way of defending him from superior figures such as royalty, forces he couldn't really fight against. 

Plus, no one had really ever... said that to him. Keith was willing to fight for him, to protect him. So Lance's gaze turned from surprised to grateful and sweet, fond in the shape of a small smile. 

"Dork... I'm the ninja sharpshooter, no one can harm me," he decided to crack the thin layer of ice with a joke, pressing a kiss to his forehead afterwards. 

"But... Thank you. I really appreciate it." He smiled. "And I'm... tired, mostly. If you let your hair grow it'd be so much easier for me to climb up here, just a suggestion." He chuckled. 

"But besides that I'm good, and... extremely in love with you," he cooed, snuggling closer to him and wrapping his arms around him completely, feeling his head sink in the comfy pillow. 

"I set the alarm so we both can sleep without worrying over waking up," he commented referring to Blue, having entrusted her with their safety, like usual. "So sleep. Good night, my Prince," he whispered quietly.

Keith thought of replying to Lance; he had so much to say. But he just smiled softly and pressed another kiss to the boy's neck, before closing his eyes and holding him close. 

Lance needed rest, he needed some peace and quiet and safety after everything that had happened today. In his head, he thought of everything Lance had said again. 

Even though he said he didn't need Keith to protect him, there were some things Keith could do that Lance couldn't, like make Lotor fuck off. Hopefully. Despite his victory today, 

Keith wasn't sure he dared go to his father again. Any sign of his unusual caring for a normal hunter would be noticed, and Keith couldn't let his father get suspicious. Well, he'd figure it out tomorrow. Whatever happened, he wouldn't let Lance alone with Lotor again. He'd keep both eyes open for that asshole.

Regarding Lance's second statement, Keith would let his hair grow. He had been for a while now, but it seemed more important now, more earned. 

As said before, long and well cared for hair was a big sign of wealth and power in both Daibazaal and many of its neighbouring kingdoms. One day, he'd let it grow past Lotor's length. And then Lance could climb up to his tower with ease. 

He smiled into Lance's shirt absentmindedly. Lance loved him. He was 'extremely in love' with him. Those words spun around in his head, made his heart flutter happily. Lance loved him. That was all he needed. 

"Goodnight, Lance," he whispered, more to himself than to the other boy, who was probably already asleep. 

And not long after that, the prince's breath had also flattened, his eyes closed and his mind drifting off into the sweet dreams he was growing used to. 

He was somewhere, not sure where, but it felt so safe. A soft fire flickered in the fireplace before him, and he lay his head on a strong shoulder. Lance was there, and together they stared into the fire, perfectly happy with the life they were leading. Perfectly happy together.

For a change, the exhaustion had won over the hunter and had made him fall asleep quickly. Before he realized it, he was deep deep into that land of endless possibilities, the limits only being his own mind and conscience. Anything could happen. 

Sometimes, even memories could filter through that mystic realm and make everything more vivid, taking the person back in time.

Lance remembered it clearly enough already.

It was hot. His caramel body was tired and sore, extremely limp as it shook over and over with the hands on his skin. He was in the verge of sleep, and all he wanted was to finally rest after that long night, but young seventeen Lance had such little voice in the matter. 

He dared not to speak. After all, this is how it should be done, right? There was no other way. No gentler, softer way. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, eventually dozing off, being woken up by the cold emptiness next to him and the sound of footsteps. He glanced to the inn's door, rubbing his sleepy eyes to fully focus on the shape next to it. 

"Hey... You're... Leaving...?" he muttered, yawning and glancing at the window's faint light. 'It's pretty early...'

-'...You want more?'

The young boy widened his eyes. "What? N-No- I-" he stuttered, still waking up as he felt his heart flip. What did he want? He wasn't even sure. "I just... I thought-" 

"You didn't expect this to get too serious, right..? You didn't expect me to stay, did you?" Lance couldn't answer, too agape to do anything but stare down. The figure finished dressing up and approached him, ruffling his hair and thanking him for the night before leaving. 

The boy laid down again and stared at the door. No, he didn't expect it... Because why.. Why should he? Then why did he feel so... Bad? What was he doing wrong? Was he not good enough? Not cheerful enought? Not entertaining enough? Not experienced enough? Not pretty enough? Why? Why wouldn't they hug him through the night and walk him home next morning? Why couldn't they stay?  
Body sore, eyes glassy, heart empty, he went back to sleep.

Lance woke up for real this time, at some point in the night. However, this time he had another person's warmth beside him- in his arms. 

The subtle breathing and ticklish hair warmed up his heart in a way he woud have considered impossible before, years back. But something else was present between them, that now familiar, abstract, intense feeling of mutual affection. 

Keith was there. To stay, to care for him, to love him.

Lance hugged him closer, let his worries finally slip away with a deep breath and slept peacefully through the time remaining.


	34. Funny Thing, Love

Once the sunrise neared, a blue bird with magestic feathers flew through the balcony and landed on the bed's end, crooning quietly, just enough to make the humans aware of her presence. The hunter just held onto Keith tighter, refusing to wake up, to which Blue replied by jumping on what she believed to be his leg.

Keith woke up with a startle, ripped away from a peaceful dream by something hitting him just below the knee. He shot up, only held down by Lance's surprisingly strong grip, and immediately relaxed again when he saw the blue bird flutter up, content with having woken at least one of them up. 

For a moment there, he had truly believed someone had caught them, had pictured his father standing over them with that untelling expression on his face, second before striking and- Keith shivered, setting the thought aside, and lay back down. 

It was still early, before sunrise, a little earlier than he would usually wake up. But he didn't mind. This gave him the opportunity to look at the masterpiece before him. He had to tilt his head up just the slightest bit to see his lover, hair wildly ruffled against the soft pillow, eyes still closed and just a little bit of drool in the corner of his mouth. Beautiful. 

He pulled one of his arms out of Lance's grip and trailed his thumb over the boy's jaw, marveling in the soft skin, trailing over the constellation of freckles. 

"Good morning," he whispered. When Lance didn't react properly, Keith just chuckled and elbowed him gently in the ribs. "I said, good morning," he repeated a little louder. 

His cheer was nearly tangible, and who could blame him after such an amazing dream. There was something about it that just stayed with him. Maybe because it was, in some way, so incredibly realistic. The place they'd been looked so much like the Castle, but way more heated, and not just due to the fire. It was just... Good. Just good. And Keith wanted to make it a reality, someday. Whether this was before or after he married another, Keith didn't know. 

"Baby," he giggled. "It's time to wake up. I'll push you out of bed if you don't get up, Lancey." 

When Lance still didn't move, Keith gave him a gentle, testing push first, before using raw violence and attempting to shove Lance off the bed, which proved to be difficult with the hunter's arms still wrapped around him. 

It was no secret the hunter wasn't a morning person. Between the loud of the day and tough work, he found this peaceful moments of calm and bliss so rare, he wasn't physically able to let go. Let go of the lulling sleep and warmth of his lover. 

In the sleepy fog of his mind he'd been able to feel his soft touch, the cheerful words tickling his ears and his failed attempts to bring him back to reality, finding it fairly amusing. At the 'Lancey' mention, the corners of his lips curled in a faint smile just as amused, and then he felt his body slowly being pushed and rolled near the edge of the bed. He quickly thought and came to the conclusion that, since he was still hugging Keith, he could fall with him and get hit with the weight of both of them, so as he felt he was near falling he rolled with force and over Keith, squishing him. 

"I can't believe you were about to push me out! I feel so betrayed," he said in a dramatic tone as his eyes grew used to the light, chuckling deeply at the prince's - once more - failed attempts to get him off. 

He then let go of Keith and supported his weight on his elbows, cupped his cheeks and gave his lips a long peck, looking into his eyes dearly afterwards. 

"Buenos días, cariño," he whispered, taking a moment to appreciate the gorgeous boy beneath him, his messy yet organized onyx hair and his violet eyes full of cheerfulness, that happy, lovely expression, before giving him another kiss and sitting up. His previous bad dream and difficult night had been forgotten under the sunrays of a new day and his soulmate's almost tangible love, and he felt almost as good as new. 

"Hope you slept well?" he asked while stretching his arms and cracking his knuckles, to later allow Blue to stand on his arm and pet her gently. She had woken them up successfully, as always. "Buena chica," he thanked her with a smile.

Keith didn't get up yet, but stretched widely on the bed, tangling himself in the blankets, his smile growing all the while. God, he would give anything to wake up beside Lance for the rest of his life. 

He opened his eyes again and looked up at the glorious sight that was Lance, his tan skin shimmering in the first rays of sun peeking over the horizon and streaming into his room. He yawned widely and pushed himself back against the headboard of the bed, leaning against the pillows. He couldn't keep his eyes off the other boy. How could someone be that handsome? 

"I slept wonderfully," Keith mused, closing his eyes for a moment to relive his dreams. Lance was still there, close by the fire, close by his side. Nothing would ever beat that image, that future. Too bad it was impossible. 

Keith sighed and shivered, trying to get rid of the thoughts of everything standing in his way, and instead focusing on all he had right now in the cool morning air, drifting in through the cracks underneath the balcony door. He brushed a hand through his hair, but the dark locks immediately fell back to cloud his pale face. 

"Good morning, baby," he breathed, stifling another yawn. "Getting pushed off would have been your own responsibility, honey. Maybe you should have woken up when I told you to." He smiled sweetly. Even though no one usually came to check on him, Lance should probably leave soon, just in case. Besides, the hunter had his own job to get to.

"Doesn't your family get worried when you spend the whole night with me?" His eyes widened a little. "Wait, do they know about me?" Keith had been so busy with hiding this from nearly everyone he knew, that he had barely given any thought to who Lance would tell. 

Sure, he'd told Hunk, but the cook seemed trustworthy, and he was Lance's best friend, so it was a bit like Keith telling Shiro. But how close were normal people with their family? Had Lance told them all? What if someone let something slip? And maybe just as importantly, what did they think about it? 

Keith couldn't imagine Lance's royalty-hating family loving the idea of their brother and son dating a Prince. What must they think of him? 

Keith looked down and bit his lip, suddenly hoping never to meet Lance's family, something he'd been wanting before this realisation. Great, another thing to be worried about. 

But how could he be upset when Lance looked at him like that, when Lance spoke to him in Spanish, called him cariño? A loving smile curved his lips, pulling the blankets up to his waist to fight the cold. 

Lance, who'd been previously smiling like a lovestruck idiot at his sweet words, seemed to be hit with the mention of his family. Twice. 

Don't get him wrong, his love for his family was immense and he'd sacrifice anything for them - like he had in multiple times; his time, his health, himself -, but it was at times like this he'd prefer to forget about everything, specially his troubles at home, and the troubles his relationship with Keith implied. 

He seemed to notice the small change on his expression, instantly knowing they were thinking about the same thing, and shifted his hand from Blue's feathers to the prince's knee. Of course, the peregrine falcon felt slightly jealous, but she could wait to have his human all to herself for the rest of the day. 

"Don't freak out," was the first thing he said in hopes of calming him down. "First, they're already asleep by the time the moon's high up and I'm back home before they wake up. In case I come directly from work to your tower they don't ask questions either. Since Veronica tends to sleep elsewhere, they're kinda used to it." He decided to keep that he also tended to sleep elsewhere before he met Keith for himself, to avoid him worrying.

"And second..." The brunette hesitated. Would Keith be mad? He'd have all the reasons to, but there was a chance he would understand. 

"They don't know about you... Except maybe... my mother...?" At the prince's expression he hurried to continue. "But there's nothing to worry about! I assure you if there's anyone that can know about us, it's her. I've trusted her with my thoughts ever since I had them, and she's always given me good advice. And when she couldn't..." His smile fell a little. 

"I know she was still there for me, listening to what I had to say and supported me. I... really needed her advice, that's why I told her." The hunter pushed himself back to be next to the prince and be able to place his hand upon his, dedicating him a soft smile. 

"She had her doubts at first, but she trusts my judgement and understands what we have going isn't a game we can just- stop playing. She worries for us, but from what she's said to me, she seems to like you, the real you. I mean, who couldn't." He chuckled softly. 

"There's no member in my family that isn't trustworthy, but... they'd have a harder time accepting... this. It's not because of you though! It's..." He averted his gaze, seeming to have remembered something he'd rather not to. Which he had. 

"My family has had so many encounters with royalty that have gone wrong... They've not only been raised to think that way, but have learned to be wary. I don't blame them." Suddenly he was self aware of that part in his back, the part that couldn't feel anything anymore, and decided to snap out of his self trance. "But I'm sure that if they knew you... their thoughts would change."

Keith pulled his knees up to his chest, mauling Lance's words over in his head. So, Lance's mother knew about him, about them. 

He couldn't blame Mrs McClain for having her doubts, Keith knew how her family hated everything to do with royalty and the royal family. He could feel Lance tense up everytime he talked about the subject, but Keith wasn't sure whether he should ask about it. It may open doors he'd rather keep shut. 

He held Lance's hand tightly as the hunter went on, and Keith's worried frown relaxed a little. The thought that anyone liked him was still a bit of a shock, but then again it was Lance who had introduced him. She may not like the real Keith. The Prince didn't expect her too. Then again, they might never meet at all, there was no reason for them to. 

The thought of Lance's mother knowing about them still scared him. What must she think of him? He'd courted her son without permission; that went against everything he'd been taught. 

He hummed softly at Lance's last statement. Would they? Would they like him if they met him? Lance liked him, at least. Would his family share that point of view? Keith had never been great at making friends, at getting people to like him. That was the case with royalty, and he hadn't met many common people. 

He had to admit that most royalty were awful people, stuck up and spoiled, taking advantage of their power and their people. They acted more refined than their subjects, but the true savages always sat high on a throne. 

"What.. What kind of things have made them so defiant against royalty?" he asked carefully, nearly giving up halfway through the question, but it was too late to stop it. He had to know. If not to fix it, then maybe to apologise on behalf of his family, to be prepared if he ever did meet Lance's family. He could just imagine their disgust if they found out their little brother was with a Prince, a Daibazaal Prince. They'd find him and skin him alive.

A big part of him was deeply curious about what had happened, and his heart was desperate to find out as much about Lance's past pain as he could in an attempt to fix him. Most people in this kingdom didn't feel as much animosity towards the royal family as the McClains did. At most, they felt fear, or maybe even admiration, respect. 

Then again, everything Keith knew about his people he'd read in letters and reports, since he wasn't allowed to speak with peasants like any other person. Everything he heard or saw had passed his father's judgement, had been carefully checked and approved. His senses got controlled by the king, even though he didn't quite realise it yet. Lance acted as one of the few beings that allowed him a clear look at the actual state of the kingdom, without the filter of properness and lies. 

He held his hand tighter and lay his head on the hunter's shoulder, hoping to create a safe enough environment for Lance to speak about his pain. Keith still wasn't sure whether he was supposed to hear.

As for what ran through the hunter's mind, it was far from calm and collected. He'd tried to anticipate to Keith's reactions and had expected it to be one of relief or persistent doubts regarding his family's vision of him, so the question caught him totally off guard. 

The prince already knew his family wasn't fond of royalty, he'd known from the start. Why was he asking now? Perhaps he'd talked too much? Put too much emphasis on his words? Ah, shit. 

It was too early to fuel the fire, but it was also too early for Lance to use the excuse of him having to leave before someone came in. He was about to toss the question aside, but Keith's reasuring grip and calming presence was conflicting enough for him to give up and lay his head on the ravenette's in return. 

He looked at a nonexistent spot in the bed, wondering how much should he spill. How much would be too much for Keith to handle. It concerned his father after all, and everything related to that was a touchy subject, for everyone. 

"...Us McClains come from a very long heritage line of royal blacksmiths, so our ancestors had their own disputes with royalty first hand back then. There was a breaking point where one of them decided not to serve the corrupted kings anymore, thus lead to us losing all of the privileges we may had had serving among the castle. However, due to the heritage's recognized talent and quality of our weapons, royals never stopped asking us for war supplies. Not to this day, where my father's rich work gets paid off cheaply 'cause the king refuses to raise a McClain's salary," the brunette complained, knowing how they shouldn't be struggling with money if the king's pride wasn't in the way. 

No matter the amount of swords his father crafted, he'd still gain the same sad amount of money, which was barely enough to pay rent but not enough to pay the debts the king had caused. 

Lance didn't want to go there. He was finding it pretty hard to talk about, despite him being kinda over it. He really didn't want to upset the prince, but did he really have a choice? Keith should be aware of his father's true, ruthless, sanguinary nature, because it concerned him. So he breathed deeply and caressed his hand with his thumb, trying to mantain the calm in his voice. 

"I'm guessing you're aware of the witch hunts that are organized every once in a while? Well... For... For reasons, the local lord thought my brother Luis was hiding a witch in his house." He decided to keep the details of the one time Allura started visiting his nephews to teach them how to read for himself, for her own safety. 

"Which, of course, wasn't true. He had no proof beyond his own suspicions, but he was convinced. So... He told the king, and despite knowing who we were... he gave him his approval." 

Lance felt himself drifting back to that day, still crystal clear in his memory. 

"That house was set on fire the next day, along any other possible traitors among the villagers." He felt a pressure on his chest, his empty words turning into resented whispers as he took a hand to his face. 

"...Luis, Lisa, my nephews and I were inside." The words got caught up in his throat, almost strangled, and he wasn't able go continue the story right away. 

The flickering of the flames, the suffocating heat and the choking smoke were all coming back in the form of flashes filled with confusion, distress and panic from everyone in that house. But Lance bit his lip, did his best not to show it and remain still, because that was the last thing Keith needed right now.

Keith didn't say a word during the whole ten minutes Lance talked, and long after. He didn't know what to say, to be honest. His mind spun wildly, trying to comprehend it all, trying to make sense of the motivations. 

If Lance's ancestor had worked for the Castle, and eventually broke their ties after a fight, it would make sense that they were ripped of their privileges and riches, from a logical viewpoint. One of the most dangerous things to a ruler would always be open defiance. 

And if the blacksmith then had really had the guts to disagree with the king, he couldn't be allowed to have too much power, too much influence. They could have become a threat, and it's best to destroy threats as soon as you see them. This was what Keith had been taught, what he'd known his whole life. But still, it felt... wrong.

Hadn't there been a better way? Did every other McClain to ever exist also have to be punished for something their ancestor did? Keith would have said no, but maybe they'd wanted to be sure. Maybe they'd wanted to set an example. No one could defy the Royal family of Daibazaal and get away with it. 

Perhaps they'd thought McClain's children would be raised with the same rebellious values, that they would somehow rise up against the king. Perhaps they'd been right, Keith thought, looking at his boyfriend. 

What would Lance have been like had he not struggled to support his family all his life? Would he have risen up against the king long ago? He met Lance's eyes, and that blue spark told him he was right. Lance would never have settled for this oppressed life if it wasn't for his family. 

And the last thing Lance said created a clear picture in the prince's head. Fire, everywhere. Screaming children. Smoke and pain and... permanent scars. He could picture Lance's back quite clearly, a wide burn mark slashed across. He'd seen it the second day of their trip, Lance washing himself in the river.

He'd never imagined it to have been caused by his father, his family. They had hurt Lance. He had hurt Lance. 

The Prince looked down, guilt flooding over him. Burning down houses in search of witches wasn't an uncommon practice. Keith didn't really believe in witches, and definitely not that they would be hanging around in the village. Neither did his father, as far as Keith knew. But the occasional hunt kept the commoners quiet, all the people who were convinced their lands were plagued by witches, bringing them terrible misfortune. 

Besides, they just burned down houses, pretended the witch had died, and allowed the family to rebuild. 

But why would they set fire to Lance's brother's house with them still inside? That was... horrible. Keith couldn't wrap his mind around it, couldn't find an explanation. It had just been plain cruel, just to bring another blow to the already feeble family McClain, trying to get them down from the island they so desperately clung to. 

The king had always been a man of tradition, so it would have been clear to him to bring down hell on the feared McClain family, like his predecessors before him.

It all made sense, but then why did it feel so wrong? What was he angry at? It wasn't suddenly an injustice because Lance was involved, right? So did that mean it had always been wrong, even if Lance hadn't been involved? 

Keith felt... confused. Nothing made sense anymore. No matter his father's... displinary actions, Keith had always thought him just, honest, fair. So why would he accept one of his lord to burn down a house with people in it? 

If the Lord had been punished in any way, Keith would know. Punishment were always very public. Had the Lord just followed orders? Had the king ordered him to? Keith looked down at his hands, as if he'd find the answers there. 

"I.. I don't understand," he whispered eventually, after an eternal silence. "Why would they burn down the house with people inside? Your brother would need to attend a trail to be condemned for hiding a witch, and that offence isn't punishable by death. It makes no sense." He whispered it so softly, it was almost as if he was speaking to himself. 

"I don't understand," he repeated, letting go of Lance's hand.

Once again, Lance had tried to anticipate to his answer, had expected it to be some kind of compassionate apology. What he got instead almost made him laugh. 

"A trial?" he let out with slight shocked amusement. "Do you really think that matters? That we get a say in the matter or a chance to defend ourselves?" His hand suddenly felt empty, and by moving away slightly, the safe atmosphere was no longer safe. 

"The lord firmly believed we were hiding a witch, and therefore that we were traitors to the king and to the kingdom, that we were the cause of drought and an illness that was being spread at that time. But since he had no material proof and no witch, he tried to make sure we allies would never hide one ever again. We did nothing wrong, it's not justified, and it's insane, but that's how things went down, because people above us don't really care what happens to us," he scoffed. 

"Why should the king care for a few McClain children? He'd still have Marco to be the next blacksmith and his weaponry source would be intact. He shouldn't care about anything else." 

With each word the brunette felt his anger bubbling up, but it was too late to contain it. It wasn't fair. They weren't worth a sigle gold money of the king's treasury. 

"We could be gone any day, any minute, and the king wouldn't care." He crossed his arms and looked away. "Less mouths to feed, more terror spread and more money for him, am I right?"

The atmosphere had shifted tangibly. The air, which had felt soft and sweet just minutes ago, now carried the ice edges of long-existing tension. 

The Prince pursed his lips, thinking over his words before speaking. After all, it made no sense that he had to explain this to Lance. Didn't he understand what Keith had known his entire life? Lance was being childish. Things weren't always convenient, but you had to live with them anyway. 

"My father-" he began, trying to hold down his indignation, "-cares about every one of his subjects. He is not evil, as you make him out to be. He might see your family as a threat, which they could be, but you're still his people. The king is just, and so are his trails." 

He pulled himself out from under the blankets and stood up, still looking at Lance. 

"If a mistake was made, it most likely lay with the Lord or one of his underlings, and my father will have punished him for such a mistake." 

His voice faltered for a moment, as a painful reality hit him. He hadn't talked to Lance like this since they first got together. He cringed. But how to explain this to Lance without being clear? He took a deep breath and raised his head. 

"You don't understand what it's like to be royalty, and you never will. Millions of people rely on my father, and he can't satisfy everyone. So I apologise for any inconvenience it may have caused you, but I won't apologise for the Kings actions. He did what he thought was right." 

He looked Lance in the eyes, feeling something open up inside himself. Lance and he were so different, how could they ever get along? Maybe they'd just been faking it all this time, compromising until they couldn't anymore. And now they stood at complete opposites, unsure of any chance to find their way back, if it was even there.

To say Lance was shook was an understatement. He was frozen in shock, visible in his incredulous expression. Was this really happening? Had Keith just- used his prince voice on him? On him? Why? Hadn't they been over this already? Was Keith looking down on him?

How dare he?

"Are you listening yourself?" he asked with indignation, shock in his face. "How..? How are you still defending him after doing such things? How can you call him fair and just? How can you say he gives a shit about us?" 

The tanned boy got up as well from his side of the bed, scowling at the prince in anger. 

"He burned the house to ashes with us locked in! With no way out! If my father hadn't come to help we would've died!" His voice broke, his hands on his heart as if to prevent it from breaking. 

"My family almost burned alive, myself, my nephews-" a pang of pain cursed through him at the thought, the memories of his younger self running to protect Sylvio and Nadia from the boiler explosion, stopping his breathing short. 

"..They were just kids..! Not traitors, not threats. Innocent, little kids. Is that an inconvenience to you?" His blue eyes started filling with tears. "How could burning them alive be right?"

It hurt. It hurt that Keith talked to him like that, thought like that. That he defended the man who almost ended their lives. He clenched his fists and walked to grab and put on his clothes, satchel and weapons. 

"I know the king brainwashed you or something, but that you really think burning down a house with people and children inside is the right thing to do because your father says so, really blows my mind," he spat as he secured his belt and tied his cloak. So much for caring for his people. 

It was sad, how warm and cozy they were together a few minutes ago and now it felt like a cold wall stood between them. The moment Keith used his authoritary tone on him, Lance instantly felt like a stranger, unwelcome and unwanted. He felt like he was being kicked out by his own boyfriend. 

He held the tears in his eyes, having decided he'd cried enough in front of him already. He would not seem weak in front of a prince. 

Right, Keith had suggested they would never end up together, that he would never understand. A chuckle escaped his lips as he placed his hoodie over his head, darkening his already dark gaze. 

"You're right... I'll never understand what it's like to be royalty." He grabbed his climbing arrows and walked past him to the balcony, stopping at the doors but not bothering to look back at him. 

"...I'd rather die a servant, than washing my hands with the blood of the innocent."

With this he pushed the door open, pulled up his mask and started climbing down, Blue following him not long after.


	35. Lost In The Woods

Keith was lost. Lost in his mind, lost in his heart. Lance's words echoed in his ears as the door closed behind his love. 

He didn't understand, and hated the feeling. Lance had every right to be upset, angry even. An injustice had been done to him and his family, something they were not even responsible for. Whoever started the fire should have checked to see if there was anyone still inside, and Keith found it difficult to reason why this Lord had never been confronted about his mistakes. 

But Keith would also never question his father's decisions. How could he? The king was always right, even if Keith didn't understand. It would be rude to argue against his word, and especially for him, the Prince. He had to keep quiet, accept whatever his father decided. The king was always right, and Keith would be punished for thinking anything else. He had been, many times. 

Lance was being ridiculous, he wasn't brainwashed, but even the thought of openly disagreeing with his father sent shivers down his spine, made him tense and nervous. No, he couldn't bear more pain for speaking his mind, not when he turned out to be wrong each time. 

Why didn't Lance understand that? He didn't disagree, but even if he did, there was nothing he could do or say. Royal life trapped him here, forever alone and unloved, forever forced to live by other's rules. 

Him and Lance being together was a fantasy, nothing more. They could never have lasted, and now Lance would never speak to him again, the boy absolutely hated him. 

That expression on Lance's face wouldn't leave him, even as he took a bath and dressed, making his way down the halls for lessons. He didn't want breakfast, and wasn't hungry. A persistent feeling of nausea followed him around wherever he went, but he didn't cry. No, this was his own fault. Everytime you break a rule, you end up hurting yourself, Keith. Stop being so stupid. He hates you. He hates your whole family. 

He'd never felt this lonely, not before he met Lance or even Shiro. There had never been an option for them to be together. What did Lance want him to do? Fight against his father for his lover's honour? Did he just want him to feel really sorry for his whole family? Of course Keith felt his blood boil everytime he thought of the fire, of the scar it had left Lance, but there was nothing he could do. Nothing. 

Time waits for no one. Lance tried to climb down the tallest tower as fast as he could as if running away from the merciless sun chasing him, warning for the next patrol to walk by any time now. He'd gotten too caught up with trying to reason with the prince, which was of no use in the end. 

The brunette felt they were back to the beginning, when they didn't understand each other, when they were nothing but a prince and his humble servant, where social classes acted like an entire ocean between them and they were unable to reach each other.

Except he did try to understand. Keith was doing nothing to try and understand him, but Lance did understand the hard position he was in. He, however, didn't consider it as an excuse to not think for himself, or else that would mean the king would control him entirely, even his thoughts, forever. 

Hadn't they grown past this? How could he defend him even after knowing the wicked reality his people were facing? What about his own inhuman punishments? 

Keith really hadn't spoken like himself. And for a moment... it even sounded like he didn't believe in both of them, that he would put no effort in their relationship, that he didn't want to fight anymore. 

Had he ever wanted to, though? After all, it was the hunter who constantly faced danger for him and risked his life over and over. But besides fighting for his people's rights, what had Keith done to really fight for them as a couple? 

A part of Lance though he was being unfair with him. Their situations were completely different and there wasn't much the prince could do. Except there was, and it was this kinds of things, like seeing reality for what it was, like understanding him.

Their relationship held a weight so heavy that Lance couldn't lift it on his own.

So his arrow didn't anchor correctly to the stone, his foot slipped, his lungs ran out of air.

And he fell.

Looking at the height of the tower he climbed almost every night made Lance wonder if it was really an equivalent effort. 

Wasn't he trying too much? Since Keith didn't consider their relationship as serious as he did? Had he mistaken his partner's interest for love again? It wouldn't be the first time. He continued tripping over the same rock again and again. Would Keith not want to talk to him anymore? Not welcome him anymore and use his authoritary voice on him so he'd go away? 

God, was this really happening again? Why? Why wouldn't people love him? What was he doing wrong? Was he that unworthy of being loved?

His back hit the thick layer of snow after falling from the remaining 20 feet, and luckly, he didn't get a serious injury. (And didn't die. Haha got you.) 

What still had him shocked were the several thoughts flowing through his head. If he had injured himself, would've Keith noticed? And having his royal rank in mind, he wouldn't have run out to help him, right? Why should the prince care for a nobody he wasn't supposed to know? Despite spring right around the corner, Lance knew it was going to be a cold day.   
Feeling dizzy and empty, he got up and walked home.

..................

It hadn't been that bad of a morning. The hunter stood once again next to his cook friend and five other hunters in the great empty dining room, soon to be filled by the royal families. They'd been requested to present a special hunt today since a big announcement would take place that lunch, though they hadn't been told what it was. 

But to make it memorable, they'd gone with their hounds, hawks and horses, and had successfully taken down a grizzly without getting more than a couple scratches. It had been an exciting, dangerous and stimulating distraction.

And now he'd have to indirectly face the prince again, for what he held his head down.

Keith's mind didn't work that morning. How could it, when every part of him was begging to run back to Lance, to plead for forgiveness, to feel that warm embrace around him once more. But he didn't need forgiveness, right? He had simply stayed the truth. The King's judgement is right and just. Keith had known that since he was a kid. 

He closed his eyes for a moment, his teacher's voice numbing in the background, and relieved their earlier argument, trying to find any explanation as to why he felt so guilty. After a while, Lance's voice merged into another, softer and kinder.

~

Keith had been four years old when his father finally started to get involved in his upbringing. Before that time, he locked himself in his office, working day and night and hearing news of his sons first steps, his first words, his first accomplishments. 

The king hadn't cared about any of it, until the Prince learned to write. He was advanced for his age, writing full sentences with ease and glad to show his father, a figure he had rarely met before. His governess proudly showed his work to the king, who just scowled and pulled Keith up from his seat.

"This is a Prince," he told the woman, anger barely contained. 

"You have allowed him to write with his left hand? Do you think that is even close to acceptable?" 

The woman's expression shifted from proud to terrified, and worried for the young boy at his father's mercy. 

The king threw one more look at the paper with Keith's writings, and turned back to the boy. He let go of his shirt, reached for his left hand and crushed his tiny fingers in one hand, until soft snaps erupted from his bones, and Keith started crying. This only seemed to anger the man more. 

"Pathetic, Yorak. You will learn to write like a proper Prince, and you will do it now." He pushed the child back in the chair, the older woman looking at them with tears in her eyes. Keith's trembling right hand picked up the pen again, his other hand held close to his chest, and started writing. 

Ever since that day, Keith had been right-handed.

That was how it worked. If Keith did something his father did not approve of, the king punished him until he changed. Rebellion had seemed so easy while they rode through the forest, miles away from his father. But now they were back under his roof, the looming threat of Keith's childhood fell back over him, forced him to rethink his relationship with Lance.

The Prince opened his eyes just in time to meet his teacher's, staring blankly at the man who had clearly just asked a question which Keith completely missed. Keith blinked a few times and went back to focusing on his lesson and his slightly annoyed tutor. 

And after a few hours, he left the room, barely remembering anything he'd learnt at all, still feeling the clear memory of something that had happened so long ago. Especially his father's furious expression, his governess' terrified stare and the excruciating pain his fingers stood out in his mind. 

Over and over, different mistakes, but the same constant, repeating punishment. Lance didn't understand royal life in that way. He had to be perfect, or his people wouldn't respect him. He had to be perfect or he would feel the pain.

After some quick paperwork in his room he changed clothes and made his way to lunch. He actually had to eat with the other royals today, which truly sucked. But then again, maybe his father would be a little easier on him after yesterday, and Lotor might stay quiet out of fear of being told off again. Yeah, he could survive it today. 

He didn't fully register that Lance would also be there, which was strange because the boy still wouldn't leave his head. He sat down at the table, the first person there, and leaned back in his chair to think some more, about Lance, about his father and about how messed up everything had gotten in such a short time.

The hunter, refusing to look up, listened as all the royal members came to place one by one and took a seat at the large table. The albino prince's voice did nothing but to relive the unfortunate encounter between the two, making him feel slightly shameful again. But it was alright. He could survive this lunch if he tried to brush everything off like that morning. 

At some point he'd decided Keith's authoritary tone wasn't worthy of his sadness. He was a McClain, for crying out loud. Specially when it came to injustice, to abuse of power, to royalty. He would never bend.

-"I am deeply grateful for your expanded visit, Honerva" Lance heard the king speak, with an unusual tone on his words. Did his ears betray him? He almost sounded... Happy? 

"I believe destiny is what reunited us for a long time yet again, this time to strengthen our ties and take this alliance one step further to a brighter tomorrow for our kingdoms." Brief seconds of silence, where the hunter assumed the king was taking a sip of his wine before putting it down and continuing. 

"We have been through rough changes lately. With the rebels still out there and no knowledge of their next move, I'm left with no choice but to propose arranging the marriage as soon as possible." 

Lance's heart stopped.

"I am in no way giving credit to the rebellion, but I know better than underestimating my enemy. Our enemy, in this case. Uniting both strongest military forces will assure our success, no matter the scale of The Blades. Plus," Lance wasn't looking, but he could guess he was sort of smiling by the proud tone in his voice, perhaps glancing at Keith. 

"My son seems to have grown to stand for himself, and to his servants. He's also proved having a great physical resistance, which with training might just turn into a valuable asset for the upcoming battle. With all respect, old friend, I consider him potentially worthy." 

Of the crown? Of Lotor? In general? Lance couldn't tell. It was hard making sense of everything happening in that room with the rush of blood in his veins, his heart seeming to be preparing for the longest run of his life. He was starting to feel sick. Was this real? Was this really happening? It wasn't supposed to happen so soon. But perhaps Honerva agreeded with Lance, maybe she also considered this too precipitated. 

The albino prince, who'd been sweating nonstop since the conversation took this path, dared to look at his mother in the eye. Perhaps silently asking her, begging her to reconsider. No matter how great the riches, how strong the kingdom, with everything going on lately he'd started to doubt what he really wanted. 

Was marrying the one he disliked the most really worth it? Marrying him forever? Even if he ruled over him, he'd always be Keith. The boy who took the only person that was ever truly compassionate with him away, along his father figure. Obnoxious, weak, forever annoying prince. He wanted more time. Time to think about it.

Unfortunately, time waits for no one, not even royalty. -"Hm..." After a minute of reflection, the queen raised her gaze to Zarkon again, not bothering to look at Lotor. 

"If he is or not worthy is yet to be determined, but I do agree on his potential. In such times it'd be nonsense throwing that away. I see no sense in delaying the alliance any further. There is no other kingdom I consider more worthy of uniting with." She almost spoke in the same jolly tone. 

"Therefore, I welcome this union and new powerful era. Perhaps we could arrange everything within a week?"

A week?

Normally, Lotor would've been thrilled and ready to rub his new riches on Keith's face, but he was frozen cold, while the hunter seemed to fold on himself with his head still hanging low. 

He would never bend. He would not bend. He would not. 

Keith's eyes widened as his father agreed with that time period. A week. Keith had thought he'd have multiple weeks, maybe months before having to that one thing that would change his life forever. 

His father's praise flew right past him. Weeks ago, he would have given anything to have his father speak to him in that way, to have made him proud. But right now, he'd trade it all for just one more moment with Lance, one where the hunter didn't look at him like he was personally responsible for nearly murdering him and half his family. 

He clenched his hands under the table, stopping himself from showing that torn expression on his face just in time. He wouldn't break, not now. Not ever.

"Yorak?"

Keith wished he could see Lance again. He knew the hunter stood in that same room, but he couldn't look now, not when there were other people around. Would Lance come to his room again, or had this morning been the last time, had he left forever? How was Keith supposed to know if they were still together? Keith couldn't go looking for him, to apologise.

Because yes, even if Keith didn't understand any of it, he knew he should apologise to Lance for hurting him.

"Prince Yorak!"

Keith's gaze shot up, onto his father's annoyed features, which told him the king had called his name multiple times. His father didn't like repeating himself. "I apologise, father. I did not mean to be rude."

The king held his gaze for a few more seconds, perhaps searching for rebellion in his tone, but finding none. "I should think not," he answered. 

"If you payed attention, like you should, you would have heard me ask your preferred date for upcoming wedding." 

Keith straightened his back a little more, pushing all thoughts of Lance and their fight out of his mind. His preferred date? How about never? Keith, however, had learned his lesson last time he had stood up against this ridiculous idea, he wouldnt give his father another opportunity to kill him. 

So when his father named two possible dates, Keith repeated the last one back to him. "I would like some time to prepare myself for this arrangement," he said. Maybe, if he had a few more days, he'd be able to get used to the idea. Maybe he'd be able accept it. 

He looked across the table at Lotor, who seemed even more uncomfortable than he felt. He knew Lotor didn't like him, maybe even hated him, but he hadn't been completely opposed to the idea when it was first revealed. He'd even taunted Keith about it. 

Perhaps he'd thought he could just control the other Prince when they got married, walk over him like he'd always had. And now Keith had defied him that security had vanished. 

Well, Keith thought, Lotor might not have anything to worry about. Keith wasn't sure whether how long he could keep this up without Lance by his side. He felt himself crumbling minute by minute, insecurity mixing with that pain in Lance's face and voice that haunted him around the Castle. He'd said to Lance he'd fight, even if the hunter eventually left him. But now... How could he keep fighting if the one thing he loved hated him? 

The lunch felt excruciatingly long. Lance wasn't sure how many more of these he could handle, 'specially after Keith and Lotor were married. Knowing Lotor, he'd probably act all lovey dovey just to tease him and Lance wouldn't be able to do anything other than stand and watch for eternity. 

The idea suddenly felt so close, so real, and the events of that morning had already left him incredibly numb and hopeless. If the prince didn't want to fight for them anymore, how was he supposed to do it? How was he supposed to see the light in such dark situation if it wasn't with his lover? He wondered if starting all of this had been smart. It hadn't.

But not doing it would feel... wrong.

Because he truly, deeply loved Keith. And he couldn't just give up. They'd been through hell and back just to be together 'till this day. It couldn't end due to one argument. They were more than that, stronger than that. 

Could he really blame Keith for thinking like that when he'd been instructed to do so all his life? Yes, maybe it wasn't entirely justified, but that didn't mean Lance hadn't been unfair to him, too. He was usually more understanding than that. Perhaps he'd gotten too carried away by his own feelings, instantly jumping to defend his family and his beliefs by attacking his father. He had no right to do that, because even though the king was many things, he was still Keith's father. 

Couldn't he keep his cool and approach the matter in a different light? 

The brunette finally looked up at the prince, instantly knowing his poker face was just a facade to hide how terrible he should be feeling right now. 

First, he'd left his room without talking things through, probably upsetting him for the rest of the morning, and now he'd been told he would get married on such short notice? Lance felt his heart weight heavy with guilt. No matter who was right the most, Keith didn't deserve all this.  
He owed him an apology.

..............................

Having been rewarded for the successful hunt, the tanned boy spent the rest of the day with his family. He briefly talked about what was happening in the castle when his mother asked, to what he'd recieved a piece of mind; 'Every single problem can be solved if we all truly understand each other. Get in each other's shoes.' Lance had been convinced he was doing that this morning, but now looking back at how defensively he'd reacted, he hadn't. 

He did his chores, taught his nephews a few things about maths and took Kalt and Blue for a walk. 

He usually climbed the tower by the time the moon was up, but today he got there an hour late due to his family holding a feast. At this time he was praying Keith wasn't more mad at him than he already was, the possibility of him kicking him out with his prince voice making him extremely uneasy. Or... 

What if he broke up with him? Having made up his mind about their relationship? What if he looked down on him while telling him he was no longer needed? What if he hated him? What if he hated him so much he hit him for talking shit about his father and broke up with him in the most terrible way?  
What if he ruined him forever?

Lance found it harder to breathe. 

When he stepped on the balcony his heart hammered against his ribcage, urging him to run away from imminent danger like a rabbit in the open. He wasn't sure he could stand another heartbreak, specially one as intense. Still, he breathed deeply and gathered courage to approach the door, slightly knocking on it and lowering his mask to speak clearly. 

"Uh... Keith?" The nerves mixed with fear couldn't be more noticeable in his uneven voice. Very smooth, Lance. "I- is it okay if I-" When had talking to his lover become so hard? He was physically tense, a hand on his chest to ease his accelerated heart. 

"I owe you an apology.. Can I... Come in? To talk?" The courage he'd gathered throughout the day slipped off him like butter through his shaky hands as he struggled to breathe. Maybe it was better if he didn't hear what Keith had to say to him, fearing it'd wreck him. 

"Or- it's okay if you don't want to" Maybe this wasn't a good idea. "You don't have to, really-" Maybe Keith wanted space. "I- Sorry for bothering you" Maybe he should leave. Yeah. That seemed right. He turned around and began walking away, ignoring climbing down a tower as tall in the verge of an anxiety attack might not be the best option. 

Keith had gone to bed early tonight for a reason. He knew Lance wouldn't come tonight, he knew Lance wouldn't be able to spend more time with him without wallowing in disgust for the Prince. And Keith knew he wouldn't be able to take the wait, sitting in his room, his stomach turning at every sound, wondering if Lance had, perhaps, still come for him. 

The only reason Lance would come to his tower again would be to break up with him, and maybe he wouldn't do that if he found Keith sleeping. 

Keith was disgusted with himself. Lance had been happy before they met. Sure, he'd had his struggles, but he'd been content with the life he'd been leading. Until Keith. Somehow, the Prince had been able to work his way into Lance's heart, somehow he'd fooled him. And now, Lance was hurting, because of him. All his fault. 

Keith turned around it his sleep, the dreams plaguing him once again. His father stood at the end of a hallway, holding a burning torch. Keith turned around, wanting to get away, wanting to run, but before he could do anything, the hallway burst into flames, enveloping him in fire. It hurt, though not as much as he was used to. 

He ran, as fast as he could, but couldn't escape the fire. And then, it stopped. Only the Prince himself still flickered softly, casting light on a dark room.

And then he saw Lance. Keith smiled in relief, hurrying towards the boy. Lance would be able to stop the fire, to save him, to be with him. 

He reached out for Lance's hand, took it in his own. But then he backed away. The fire, flickering along his fingers, jumped over to Lance's hand. And then his arm. Lance looked at him in pain, in betrayal. 

"No no," Keith muttered. "Lance, please no. I didn't mean to..." He took Lance's face in his hands, trying to somehow stop the fire from consuming his lover, but all it did was spread faster. 

Keith's body tangled in the sheets of his bed. "Lance.." he muttered in his sleep. Lance was on fire, sinking to his knees as Keith's flames consumed him. "Lance!" he screamed out, just as the boy got ready to climb back down from the balcony. If Keith had been awake, he'd worried whether he'd alarmed any guards. But all the fear he felt now was caused by watching his lover parish in front of him, all because of him. All his fault.

There was no way he'd be mistaken. Somehow, Keith's cry managed to get through the hunter's anxiety, doubts and hesitations. 

He'd never turned around so fast. He rushed to the doors and looked all over the dark room with a hand on his dagger instinctively, but he found no other than Keith, struggling with a force invisible to his eyes. He let out a shaky breath, relieved he wouldn't need to slash anyone's throat to protect his lover. 

Still, he noticed his nightmare was getting out of hand and rushed to him, tossing all of their problems and fights aside. 

"Keith" he called him, trying to make him stop in fear he'd hurt himself, but he wasn't waking up. What the hell was he dreaming about? Why was he calling out for him? He was sweating nonstop and his face was boiling hot. Could he have a fever? Checking him out a bit more he discarted that idea. It looked more like a very violent dream, to which Lance couldn't shake him awake or he could have an emotional shock. Good thing he knew all about handling nightmares. 

"Keith, you're dreaming. You have to wake up. It's me, Lance.." He spoke firmly but cautiously, throwing the tangled sheets aside to stabilize his body temperature. Hopefully the guards hadn't heard, but they definitely would if he didn't manage to wake him up in the most tranquil way. 

"It's just me. I'm here. I'm with you." He wrapped one arm around him and brought him closer, his other hand brushing aside the messy hair off his face. "Shh, it's okay. I've got you, love. I've got you."

Keith sank to his knees beside his lover, letting of him completely and staring at him with tear stained eyes. 

"Please, Lance," he whined. His hands reached out instinctively, trying to protect him, but stopped when he saw the flames licking his own skin. "I never meant to- to hurt you." Lance didn't hear him. The flames had now speak over his entire body, only his eyes visible through the heat, still blazing blue, and full of pain, of hurt, of disappointment. 

He didn't need to speak for Keith to know exactly what wanted to say. 'This is all because of you. If you'd just stayed away, I would have been happy.' Keith fell apart, lowering his head in his hands so he wouldn't have to look at Lance again. 

He cried and cried, seemingly for hours. It didn't end, it didn't stop. The fire around him warmed even more, and Keith thought it may swallow him whole. He hoped it did. 

But the flames changed, faded, turned into heavy arms wrapped around him. Keith didn't care who it was, all he knew was that these arms were so goddamn comfortably, so goddamn safe. And so he lay there, sobbing silently, still muttering his lovers name. "Lance," he whispered, hoping the other person didn't hear him. "Please don't leave me. Please."

He lay there for a while, not knowing how long, not even knowing if he was awake or not. He hoped he was, fearing to fallback into what he was pretty sure had been nightmare now. But after a while, he could no longer ignore the situation. The person holding him still hadn't left, and Keith found himself forced to open his eyes, to get back his sense of consciousness. 

And then another thing surprised him. Lance. Lance was here. Lance had woken him up, had held him.

And now they were back to where they'd been. Fighting. A whole canyon of differences between them. So Keith pulled back, sitting up properly and not meeting Lance's eyes. 

He felt ashamed, so incredibly ashamed. He'd been wrong. He'd hurt Lance, and he'd let him leave without trying to apologise. So now he was silent, waiting for Lance to say something, to yell at him angrily, to hit him maybe. He deserved it.

What the prince said while half asleep nearly made Lance's heart shatter. He was literally about to leave when he was called. He would have, because he hadn't realized Keith couldn't hear him, and so he could've left him drowning in his nightmare all night without even noticing. What kind of boyfriend was he? ...Right. 

He felt relieved when Keith finally looked up at him, but that feeling didn't last long. He was so focused on calming him down that he'd forgotten all about their current tension, and so when he was brushed off he felt like getting ran by a horse. 

Did Keith not want him to touch him anymore? Hell, he wouldn't even look at him anymore. It hurt. Was it too late to run away? Because his heart was beginning to race once again. 

But then... Why had Keith said those things while dreaming? He decided to hold on to that tiny chance he could still love him. Like him, at least. He pulled down his hoodie and looked down at his gloved hands, forcing himself to speak. 

"I didn't mean to enter without your permission, you called my name so... I got worried." He started, voice low with tension and traces of anxiety. He felt genuine fear of speaking. He recognized the familiar feeling, the one he always had right before a strong breakup. Except this time it was ten times ten more suffocating. He swallowed with difficulty and fidgeted with his hands. 

"I came to apologize... To talk.. Well, it's alright if you don't want to I... I understand." He rubbed his nape, trying to relax himself. If the words 'I hate you' became tangible when said out loud, he was preparing for them to hit him and crush him with their weight. 

"But you still deserve it. I don't know what got into me this morning. It's all a fog now but I remember I didn't talk to you in the nicest way. I even raised my tone with you? Because it hurt... That you spoke to me like in the beginning, when I was nothing but another servant to you," he revealed. At that time, he'd felt...

"I felt I meant nothing to you." He clawed his knee. "Like I somehow took a thousand steps back with you. Like maybe... You hated me...?" His blue eyes turned visibly glossy against the moonlight. 

"Which I understand, if that's- the case. I put the blame on you for acting how you've been instructed to act since you were born. That doesn't make you less valuable. I can't expect you change your mind in such short time, and I shouldn't get mad over that. I wasn't at all fair with you." He laughed from himself, running a hand through his hair. 

"Shit, each time I think about how I acted I feel more of a dumbass. Like, I was trying to force my point of view in you? Then telling you off for not allowing me? What the fuck." He laughed out of self pity as he wiped the tears off his eyes. 

"I can't expect you to make you hate your own dad, I know I must put you in a difficult position all the time. And I know it must be extremely hard for you. I really do." He placed his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands. 

"I don't know why I couldn't just try to understand it from your point of view before. I guess I thought I did. But I was a prick." He sighed. "I'm not saying I agree with everything you said, but I do understand it, and I respect it. You didn't deserve my attitude, nor my not at all respectful opinions towards the king. I'm.. I'm really sorry." 

Seconds of silence passed, where Lance began to feel unwanted there. Perhaps Keith was just waiting for him to leave? Remember, he doesn't even want to look at you right now. 

"Sorry, I don't know why I'm still here hahah.." he laughed nervously and got up tense to head off.

No. No no no. This was all wrong. He closed his eyes while Lance's apology washed over him, making him feel even worse. Lance wasn't supposed to apologise. Sure, Keith may not understand everything, but he still knew he'd been in the wrong, not Lance. Hé was supposed to apologise. And that made him feel terrible. Because how could he have given Lance the idea to act this way, to be sorry for defending his own family against injustice. 

Keith didn't know what to say, what to do. He felt the bed shift, something heavy moving off, and his eyes shot open just in time to catch Lance standing up. No. Keith jumped up, unsteady on his feet after the intense nightmare, and grabbed Lance's wrist. Even now, he felt how warm it was, how smooth that tan skin. So Lance. 

"Don't," he said. "Don't go. Don't leave me. And don't apologise, please. I can't... I can't take it." He let go of Lance again. Not because it hurt, no, Lance's skin felt amazing, but because he himself didn't have the right to touch something so good when he had acted so horribly.

"When you... When you started talking about the king, about what he'd done to you and your family I freaked out. I didn't know what to do or say or think. And so I forgot everything I've learned from you, learned from being out there with you." He gestured vaguely outside, meaning the trip they'd shared, the rebels they'd encountered. 

"My mind shot back to the place it knew best, defending my father's actions against anything. But I should have... I should have thought twice before choosing his side, over yours. I trust you with anything, Lance, and it was stupid of me not to do the same this morning. And I'm sorry." 

He finally looked up, hoping his weak apology made up for his actions in some way, made him at least a little bit more worthy to look Lance in the face. 

"I don't ever want you to hide what you feel from me, not even... not even when it's about my father, or my kingdom, or me. And I understand if -" Keith's voice broke. "I understand if you leave, if you want nothing to do with me anymore. I won't hold you back if that's what you want." He looked down again, tears trailing down his cheeks. "Just please, don't apologise."

Lance still felt the prince's hand on his wrist, warm and electric, and couldn't help feeling sad when he pulled it away. Though he was still slightly shocked and confused by Keith approaching him and holding him there. 

Then he began to explain himself, and everything made sense. Lance wouldn't want to believe it either if someone told him such horrible things about his father.

'I trust you with anything.' That phrase stuck with him as their eyes met briefly, a pang of pain cursing through his heart. His indigo eyes were filled with sadness and regret, and it was something they both had caused. How did everything go so wrong? 

Then his voice broke, and Lance's heart could barely bear all that guilt. "Oh, darling..." He took off his gloves and slowly cupped Keith's soft cheeks, gently raising his face to look at him fondly. 

"How could you ever think that?" His thumbs slowly wiped the tears that continued to fall from his eyes, him leaning to press a kiss on his forehead. "I would never leave you." 

His arms wrapped around him into a long hug, letting the rain cool down the forest fire. "As long as you allow me to, I'll always be with you." He gently stroked his hair and kissed his head. "I love you. I wouldn't let a single argument break us apart." 

Though he was glad... That Keith still wanted him, too. He couldn't help chuckling, knowing they were both idiots. 

"I did need to apologize though, babe. I could've approached all of that better. Both of us were kinda wrong, but that's okay." He backed away only enough to look at the prince, giving him a reassuring smile. "Now we know not to get scared 'cause of things like this. We've been together through a lot worse than couple fights."

Keith chuckled against him, feeling a huge weight slip off his shoulders. He was happy, so happy, that this had been cleared up. He pushed his arms beneath Lance's and hugged him back tightly. Soft tears turned lighter, his body relaxed after being tense all day, and a smile curled his lips. 

"I love you too. Come on." He didn't let go of Lance but pushed him against the bed, forcing him to sit and then crawling into his lap. 

"I'm sorry. I'll do better from now on, I'll try to be what you deserve." He pressed a soft kiss to Lance's lips, short but sweet. 

"I'm tired, but so happy you came. You must have seen what happened during dinner?" Keith sighed deeply. Meeting Lance would be so much more difficult after Lotor and he wed. 

Since they would share a room, Lance wouldn't be able to visit at night again, wouldn't be able to share his bed and comfort him in his sleep. He very much doubted Lotor would pull him out of his nightmares like that. Next week, all his secret meetings with Lance would have to be planned, maybe riding trips or some secret room in the Castle. Keith could show him all his favourite places. 

He looked up at Lance again with a smile. "So, how was your day? Is your mother alright? I did enjoy dinner, aside from... You know. But the meat was nice." What would Lance think about all this? Of course they'd both known the wedding would happen sooner or later, but not so soon. It sucked, to say the least. Keith was already terrified of the moment he'd have to hold hands with Lotor in front of the whole kingdom, let alone do whatever else the duties of marriage implied. 

As long as you'll have me, I'll always be near you. Lance would be there through whatever. Lance would support him. Lance would save him. His smile twitched and he trailed a finger over the hunter's jaw, revelling in the soft skin beneath his touch. So perfect. So Lance.

The hunter already thought Keith was more than what he deserved. He considered himself the luckiest guy if he had the prince by his side. His smile fell instantly at the mention of dinner, everything related to Lotor making him feel sick, but returned when Keith traced his finger over his jaw, drawing him closer. He was enchanted, knocked over by having such beauty upclose.

"My mom's all good, she actually encouraged me a lot to make up with you instead of chickening out." He laughed, resting his hands around the ravenette's waist. 

"It was a productive day. I helped out at home and taught a lil' bit of maths to my nephews." He wanted them to get what he struggled to have when little; an education. Most of the things he knew were thanks to Allura, who'd willed to share her knowledge with him over the years. Nowdays she still taught him a thing or two about life. 

"And I'm glad you enjoyed it, at least it was worth it. Taking down bears is easier said than done." And of course he couldn't wait for prince Lotor to bring it up, to bother him somehow. Douche. 

He brought Keith even closer to him, pressing their foreheads together and staring into his eyes, a smirk rising on his lips. 

"Don't think about it too much, amor. We will handle the situation just fine, nothing will really change between us." This statement was both true and false. It would, it would change. They'd have to be more careful or find another place to meet up, but asided that, they'd still see each other often. Plus, he'd have plenty of time to feel really upset when the time came, so for now, he chose to be happy. 

Still looking at Keith, something came to Lance's mind and started chuckling, making him back away just a bit. "It's kinda funny how the last time you sat on my lap was the time you drank too much of your own alcohol and called me 'your sweet man'. I'm never getting over that." He snickered, taking a hand to caress Keith's cheek and getting lost in his stunning eyes. 

Damn, he'd really missed his lips. He still did, but he had to keep a balance between listening to him and kissing him. Though he couldn't help that his eyes kept falling to those soft lips, causing him to bite his own. 

Keith smiled along with him, completely blown away by how beautiful his laugh looked, and laying his arms around Lance's neck. 

"Well, you are, aren't you? My sweet man." There was nothing like Lance's eternal optimism to brighten Keith's mood in seconds. 

"I missed you," he said softly. He knew they'd been together a lot of times during the past few weeks, but he'd been chained and exhausted then, unable to do anything but eat, cry, and fall asleep in his lovers arms. As much as he cherished those nights, Keith missed their trip together through the woods, just riding side by side, flirting and getting to know each other. And, of course, the passionate kisses shared in secret, along with everything else they might have done. 

He pushed his fingers through the short hairs at Lance's nape, unable to stop smiling at the other boy. "I missed you," he repeated softly. "And I never got to thank you for everything you did, for how you took care of me. I can barely imagine what it would have been like without you there." 

He pressed his lips to Lance's gently, and then again, and again. "Please thank your mother for me, for allowing me this opportunity to make it up to you. I wish I could meet her." 

He shifted his lips from Lance's mouth to his cheek, his forehead, his nose, and then his jaw, never staying in one place for long, never applying too much pressure. He didn't even insinuate anything, all he wanted was to be there with Lance, to feel his skin beneath his own, to feel his warmth. He stopped after a few minutes, pulling away to make sure he wasn't making any marks. But no, he'd barely even opened his mouth. 

"Your skin is so soft," he breathed, nuzzling into Lance's neck. "Do you want to go to sleep? My room is all yours, so if you want anything just take it." He gently rubbed the back of Lance's neck, smiling gently at him. "I'm all yours too."

The brunette was still laughing softly from all the necking and smooching, giggling with Keith's breathing against his neck. "That tickles," he commented between his giggle, Lance having an overly sensitive neck. It sure was a blast for all of his family members to tickle him until he ran out of air when he was a kid. A shortcut to making him smile. 

My sweet man. Ah, there it was again. He was his man indeed, his and only his. Entirely. 

"I've missed you too." Even if it had only been a day, the tension between them had made everything feel colder, like something was pulling them apart from each other. It hadn't been nice. 

"And don't worry about it, I would do it all over again. I would do anything for you if it means you'll be alright," he cooed, playing with his dark, characteristic mullet. Perhaps Keith was the only person in the entire world that could manage to pull it off so perfectly. Or maybe it was Lance's own perception of reality, since he considered everything about the prince alluring. Or maybe he was simply perfect all over. 

He tilted his face to the side, smiling back at him with playful eyes. "All mine? I must be the richest guy in the world, then." He lowered his voice, connecting their lips once again.

"I just want you," he said between the slow kisses, switching sides. 'I just want you, with me. Always,' he thought. He guessed he'd always been greedy for one thing; love. Since he was a child all he'd ever wanted was more and more attention, even more after his mother fell sick in bed and his family began to separate. 

And Keith was gentle, sweet, more than everything he'd ever wished for. Not a single jewel from the royal treasure could compare. He was perfect, and somehow, he was his. Perhaps that's why his mother always told him there was no greater gift. 

He kissed him slow and sweet, just tasting him for a little longer, caressing his back until he slowed down and parted their lips. He found himself yawning, too tired as well to do anything else today. He gave one light kiss to the prince's neck, then hid his face on it and pretended to snore.

Keith snorted, brushing his hands over Lance's head. "I hadn't expected kissing me would be this sleep inducing to you." He held Lance close for a moment, still feeling those lips against his, smiling into the dark room. God, how could he have been this lucky? The love of his life, laying against him, totally in love with him too? 

"I understand," Keith mused. "I am exhausted too. Come on. He pressed one more kiss to Lance's lips and rolled off his lap, onto the bed. He wondered if there would ever be a day when Lance and he met without being completely worn, some day they'd actually have the energy to do something together. 

He pulled Lance along, to lay next to him beneath the sheets, which the Prince pulled over them tightly. 

"I do have to get up early tomorrow, Lance. There's is so much to do before the wedding, only six days left." His eyes fell down for a moment. "It will be... difficult. But you will be there, and we will get through." Keith forced his tone to stay optimistic, pulling back the feeling from minutes ago, even though the impending doom heavied his heart considerably. 

The burning fire in the grate across his room let out soft snaps and cracks, and Keith yawned audibly. Weeks ago, he'd been afraid of anyone catching him and Lance in his room together, but the fear had lessened when nothing happened. No one really came to his room at night anyway, except for in emergencies. Shiro already knew, and thought he might get pissed at their carelessness, he wouldn't be a problem. The only other person allowed to enter without his permission, though... 

If his father discovered the two of them together, Lance would be dead before he could do so much as beg for mercy, and he would be so, so displeased with his son. Keith tried not to think about that possibility. Nothing had happened before, and nothing would happen now.

He yawned again, wrapping an arm around Lance and pulling him closer to look into his eyes. "Have I told you lately how handsome you are?" he asked, smiling tiredly. "Utterly gorgeous." He pushed forward and kissed Lance again, unable to get enough of that sweet taste. 

"One of the hardest things every day is to keep myself from looking at you in public. I so desperately long for your beauty that it pains me not to look upon it every waking moment." And then he kissed him again, drowning his worries on Lance's lips and in his ocean eyes. 

Lance, who was still slightly blushing due to the prince's compliment, felt his cheeks redden even more. 

"That's kind of my fault," he muttered after the kiss. "I often spend dinner looking at you." Keith could probably feel a gaze on him and felt the need to look at the source, but if he stared for too long, the other royals might notice. "But I can't help it, you're too handsome for me to look away." He half smiled. 

Only six days left, huh. Six days, then he wouldn't be able to spend his nights with his lover anymore. But they could still meet somewhere else. 

He sighed, trying to get rid of those thoughts and moved to take off his cloak before snuggling close to Keith again. They had to make the most of their time like this left, cherish those days like their last. 

He wrapped an arm around his back and glanced into the dark room, remembering the prince's previous words. "Maybe you could. Meet my mother, I mean," he thought out loud softly, closing his eyes for a moment as he accommodated into the pillow. 

"I still haven't taken you downtown." A while ago, Lance had thought about showing him the real beauty of his village, perhaps by night and in a disguise Keith couldn't be recognized with. He thought of the idea and was about to tell Keith, but before he noticed, all the gathered exhaustion pulled him into a deep sleep.

Keith stayed awake for a while longer, thoroughly enjoying the shift in Lance's face, from thoughtful to completely relaxed, as he fell asleep. Yeah, he could get used to this. 

He lay down his head on Lance's - beautiful - bicep and looked at his lovers face. Meet his mother, huh? If she really did accept him, as Lance said she did, it might be nice. Lance obviously really wanted them to meet, and Keith would push his insecurities aside in a second if it would make his boyfriend happy. 

Going out into the village unseen might be a little more difficult, since nearly everyone knew what he looked like, especially the guards that made their rounds. If his father heard he'd gone outside without permission... Well, they would cross that bridge when they got to it. If it made Lance happy, he would do anything. 

Sleep didn't take long to reclaim him once more, now completely dreamless, just filled with the warm feeling of true love.


	36. Buenos Días, Mi Amor

The Prince woke up first that morning, which didn't surprise him. After all, Lance had come in so late last night, and Keith was used to waking up before sunrise. 

They had shifted positions during the night, Keith now laying with his back towards the other boy, though still wrapped tightly in Lance's arms. It felt... nice, to be held like this.

On the other hand, Lance's grip was really strong, and he couldn't get loose without waking the other boy. Well, how unfortunate, he'd just have to lay there for a while. 

He lay his own arms over Lance's and traced circles over them with his fingers. Why did this guy have so many freckles? Keith wanted to study them closely, draw every little dot in exactly the right place until his Lance truly shone up at him from the paper, until his drawing was just as perfect as the real Lance. 

After half an hour or so, the distant sounds of the Castle started building, a sign that the morning had really come. The Prince reached behind him, over his head, feeling the soft locks of Lance's hair tickle his fingers, and smiled to himself. 

"Lance?" he said in his groggy morning voice. "Are you awake yet?"

"Mmmnoo.." the brunette muttered, dragging his sleepy voice as he secured his embrace around the prince. Seriously, why couldn't they just sleep all day? Was that too much to ask? Stretch that one moment before sunrise, where everything was ok? 

But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't ignore the rest of the castle waking up as well. That was his call. So he whined a bit more and nuzzled his boyfriend's messy hair, giving it a kiss. 

"Buenos días.." he whispered, taking just three more seconds to enjoy that feeling before letting him go and sitting up, yawning and rubbing his eyes. At some point in the morning a blue bird had glided onto the piano, and was now making her way to Lance's knee. "Hey girl." He greeted her, soothing her feathers as his own light eyes got used to the light. 

"Y'know? If I was royalty, my first decree would be having a sleep day. Every week. Free of work, for everyone to rest." Ah, a perfect world. Wouldn't everyone be more efficient if they took more breaks, too? His friend Hunk, for example, worked almost every day of the year. Thank god he loved his job, because that was the only thing keeping him from quitting. That, and the money he needed for his family. Ironically he couldn't see his family that often. 

"People will work better if they're more motivated, therefore if they spend more time with their families. Wouldn't I be a great king?" He joked, glancing at Keith. It wasn't a bad idea, having someone that spoke for the workers and what they wanted or needed. Wouldn't there be less conflicts then? If there was a bridge between nobles and servants? Too early for politics, Lance.

Keith smiled widely, closing his eyes to yawn and rolling over onto his back to face Lance. He was cute. Besides, the idea wasn't.. terrible. It could actually be beneficial. 

The only problem with giving the people more say would be appointing a leader, since they automatically granted that person a lot of power, and they might become a problem over time. To truly be able to voice his servants issues, they would need an entirely different system. But right now, he didn't want to think about more problems. He had Lance right here, only for a few more moments. "Hm," he hummed. "Perhaps." 

A thin layer of dried sweat from that night stuck to his skin, he'd need to wash before going out. The nightmare seemed so far away now, drowned in another beautifully safe night in Lance's arms. 

He sat up and softly stroked Blue's feathers. She was truly one of the most magnificent beings he'd ever seen. Well, aside from her owner, of course. The morning light always seemed to find and illuminate every part of Lance that the Prince liked, which wasn't hard, since Keith liked all of him. Did this guy come from a family of literal gods? Only one way to find out. 

"Last night, you said you wanted me to meet your mother, didnt you?" He reached for his bedside table and grabbed a ribbon, which he used to tie back his wild hair. It had a habit of gathering in front of his eyes and taking away his sight. And this sight, Lance in front of him, was one Keith wouldn't miss for the world.

"What were you thinking about when you said that? It's not like I can just let her come to the Castle and arrange a meeting in the grand Hall," he chuckled, almost able to imagine his father's expression if he let a normal, peasant woman - he didn't like calling Lance's mother that, even in his head, but the woman didn't exactly come from rich blood - enter the Castle because he needed her permission to date her son. 

Wait, why did he want to meet Lance's mother again? Was it to ask her permission? She'd already sort of given it, hadn't she? So it would all be just to please Lance. We'll, Keith would do it anyway, despite his terror, if Lance asked him to. He entangled their fingers and smiled up at him. "I'm sorry, its a little early for things like that. Did you sleep well, my love?"

The moment Keith started talking about his mother, Lance tilted his head to the side, confused. What was he talking about? 

"It's alright. I slept like a baby, probably as a result of having you so close." He smiled, moving to rest his head on the ravenette's shoulder. 'My love.' He'd never get tired of it, getting butterflies in his stomach each and every time, just like the first time Keith had called him that. 

He'd slept well. In fact, he'd kind of been knocked down by exhaustion, now that he recalled. "That, and your hella comfy bed." His own bed felt so stiff now. He'd have a hard time sleeping on it again after... The wedding. He decided to focus on what Keith had said to avoid getting too gloomy, looking down at their hands and absentmentally tracing circles over Keith's with his thumb. 

"I don't remember mentioning my mom last night." He was probably too far gone to be fully conscious of what he was saying anyway. "But yeah... It'd be nice if you could meet her... It'd make me really happy," he murmured with a small smile. "I don't know, It'd be like, making things right. For real. Like taking one step further in our relationship? I'd be great if my two most important people in the world got to know each other, and I know my mom would like to actually meet you, too," he explained. 

Right now, all his mother knew about Keith was what she'd heard from others and Lance himself, but she couldn't know who he really was until she met him herself. 

"And as in how... I'm not really sure. There's no way she could approach the castle. Perhaps... You could approach the village? Hear me out first," he quickly asked him, aware of how crazy and reckless that idea sounded. Meanwhile Blue had shifted from Lance's to Keith's lap, laying down to hear their conversation.

"You have free time in the afternoon where you can go ride with a guard within the limits of the forest, but you've crossed those limits before. There's no way for the others to know where you head to, and the forest connects with the village." Getting there unseen? Check. 

"The actual risk would be you getting recognized, but with a proper disguise I think we could pull it off." Without the expensive silk and jewelery, people wouldn't turn around to see who it was. "Though... Kosmo might be a big giveaway." They'd have to leave her in the forest for a couple of hours, would Keith be okay with that? 

He backed away to look at him directly. "Still, this is all just an idea. But I'm the master of disguise, remember? I know how these things go." He dedicated him a wink in a playful manner, smirking, unable to hide how full of himself he felt. But who could blame him? Years had passed and people still wondered who the shadow thief was, or if he was even real at all. He was just too good.

Keith chuckled and pushed his shoulder against Lance's. "I do admire your level of confidence. One of the many things I like about you." He turned his head and pressed a kiss to the corner of Lance's lips. 

"Though it might not be misplaced this time. Not that it usually is," he added quickly, not wanting to insult the love of his life. 

"I think this might actually work. Kosmo will be fine by herself in the forest for at least a few hours, and that's more than we need. I'll ride with you, on Kalt, and if you get me a normal outfit, or at least a big cloak to hide myself under, no one should notice anything. Oh, and I'll also need to be back in time for dinner, and we need to avoid the guards in town, since most of them know me, and it will be hard to hide my face entirely." 

There were many things that could go wrong. Someone could run into Kosmo in the forest, the guards in town could have him identify himself, what if Lance's mother hated him and sold him out? He bit his lip, stroking Kosmos feathers and she nearly purred in enjoyment. 

A month ago, he would never have considered doing something this risky. But with Lance by his side, he could do anything, especially when that particular thing made Lance happy.

"I trust you, Lance. If you say we can do it, I believe you." He smiled and stopped petting the falcon, setting one hand on the mattress in front of him to lean on and pulled Lance close with his other. He smiled, looking deep in his eyes, and then took his lips on his own. Yeah, that was better. 

The bird flew up, perching herself on Keith's desk and crooning in the morning light. 

Keith kissed his boyfriend deeply, smiling into the kiss. Their relationship may be... difficult, but every struggle was worth it just for this kiss alone, not to mention all the other things that came with Lance, like his laugh, and his comfort, and his eyes... 

He should probably back off, get up and get to work, but he couldn't bring himself to destroy this moment. The outside world was a total mess, but right here in this room with Lance, every thing seemed like it had worked out perfectly, like he and Lance lived here together, comfortable and happy. Would it be wrong to pretend for a little while longer?

The brunette gladly kissed him in return, taking one of his hands to Keith's pale soft cheek ever so gently as their lips found their way to synchronize. 

Knowing that despite all the odds Keith still trusted him... warmed his heart completely. It was amazing, how one sentence could mean the world to him, how his partner knew just how important this was to him and decided to grant him that wish. 

Their concepts of family couldn't be more different. Lance thought of himself as a really lucky guy in that sense, and so he longed for nothing more than sharing what made him happy, what he loved the most, with his special someone. 

Yeah, they could make this work. They will. Compared to their several other, highly risky and potentially deadly missions, this was nothing. 

Unconsciously getting lost in that moment where time seemed unimportant, the hunter began to intensify the kiss, lowering the hand on his cheek to his collarbone and chest, pushing him down and leaning to resume the scaling making out. 

Ah, shit. He wasn't thinking clearly right now. But who could blame him? The outside world was difficult and chaotic, but from nightfall to sunrise that wide room in the tower was their safe place. Their secret treehouse, like the one his siblings and him had built ages ago. A safe place away from it all, just for them, where nothing else should matter. 

His hand stroked down his waist and near his thigh, he let go of the prince's lips with the intention of running his own over his neck, but they barely brushed it before Blue made a high pitched croon, one Lance recognized as a slightly uneasy warning. 

He gazed at the balcony, noticing the sun was about to rise. Once again, if he didn't leave now he wouldn't be able to leave at all.

"Shit. Well, that's my call, babe." He looked back at the boy beneath him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before sitting up to put on his shoes, cloak and gloves, getting up afterwards. His sixth sense was starting to make him feel anxious too, so he hurried to the balcony, but before leaving he turned around to dramatically bow to his boyfriend. 

"At last, I profoundly long for the moment of our reencounter, your highness. Perhaps you could grant me the honor of riding by your side this afternoon?" He winked at him, grinning knowingly as he suggested taking him to the village like they'd talked before. Of course, whether they went riding or not depended on Keith only. 

Blue was already flying out the balcony, so the falconer decided to follow along. "See you later, my lovely prince." And with that, he took his arrows and went on his way.

Keith had gotten so lost in the make out, he barely noticed when Lance pulled away at first. The feel of his boyfriend's wonderful, soft lips drowning him gently, and when Lance pushed him down... His skipping heart nearly took his breath away, though the kiss had already taken care of that. 

It reminded him that he was still inexperienced, still sensitive, still reacting so violently to every one of Lance's movements. Part of him hoped to never get used to it, hoped it would always feel just like that. 

By the time he realised what Lance had said, the boy already stood by his balcony, ready to climb back down, chased by the first rays of sun. All he could do was raise his hand and wave slowly, the most lovesick expression twisting his lips into an eternal smile. Lance... 

Yeah, he'd like to start every morning for the rest of his life this exact same way. Maybe tweak it so that Lance didn't have to secretly climb out of the window. Wouldn't that be amazing, if Lance and he got to be together for real, get married even? To have him by his side always, to be able to properly meet his family without all these risks, to display him proudly to the whole world? Keith would do anything for that to happen. 

He looked into the distance, dreaming of their impossible future together, when the sun hit him in the face. Sunrise. Shit, he was late. He should have gotten out of bed ages ago. The Prince jumped up and hurried for a quick bath before nearly running out of his room, ready for another day of fighting now his lover had restored his energy at night. 

Nevertheless, the feel of Lance's lips wouldn't leave him, the way it had felt when Lance pushed him against the bed like that, Keith lived for all of it. 

Lance's idea might not have been too crazy, why not go to meet his mother today? After all, this might be his last partly free day before wedding preparations took away all of his time. Yes, he'd meet her today.

The determination lasted for nearly ten minutes, the boy nearly distracted by his teacher, before doubts started flooding into his mind, blinding most of his senses. Shit, she would hate him. After all, Lance had hated him at first, why wouldn't his mother feel the same? Miss McClain hated royalty, and his terrible social skills and tendency to do the exact wrong thing wouldn't play in his favour either. 

Could he still get out of this without disappointing Lance? ...No. Lance counted on him, he'd seemed so happy when Keith had consented to meeting his mother, he couldn't pull out now. Well, whatever happened, Lance would still love him, right? 

..............

Careful of not making the slightest of sounds, the tanned boy made his way through the window of his own room, light on his feet. Like always, he'd changed his outfit in the forest to avoid getting recognized and had his hunter clothing on. He closed the window while yawning audibly. 

Sleeping 'till past twelve was certainly something he missed, but was it worth it? Every damn bit of it. A Sleep day. Lance remembered with a sigh, turning around.

What greeted him instantly caused him to jump back, squeaking both in fear and surprise.

"Buenos días, hermanito," the brunette girl greeted him with a grin, her arms crossed over her chest as she sat down on her brother's bed.

"Rach, you almost scared me to death!" Lance complained between nervous and mad, a hand on his heart as if trying to slow it down. However, Rachel didn't stop grinning. "I'm serious, for a moment I thought you were one of the guards or something! This isn't funny."

"Oh? Do you have something you should be guilty for?" she asked while getting up and approaching him. "Are you back to stealing, Lance?"

"Of course not!" the blue eyed let out without a doubt, feeling slightly offended, but that feeling didn't last long.

"Then where do you leave every single night?" She stopped in front of him, arms crossed, her piercing gaze eating out his entire soul. Shit. How had he been cornered again?

"Don't you have work to do at this hour?" he asked bitterly.

"I happen to find my brother's well being more important at the moment, and don't try to direct the conversation's attention to me," she scowled.

"I know how you roll, McClain. I know how you think, and I have a pretty good guess on where you've been off to these past few weeks," she stated with outstanding confidence, one hundred percent sure of her guess.

Lance froze.

His breath hitched and his hands gripped the bedside table behind him. How? How did she know? For how long had she known? What did she know? How much did she- oh god. Oh god oh god oh shit oh shit. Play it cool you idiot. 

"Ah- re-really? Haha, and what might that be?" he asked in a rush, trying not to sound as strangled as he felt, his heart on his fist. Had she followed him? Had she found Keith's letters in his room? Her accusatory eyes made him feel extremely guilty for trying to cover it up. He would die at this point. 

Rachel stared at him closer and more intensely, her eyebrows furrowing with suspicion. Lance remembered how she'd always managed to make him spill the truth, his deepest secrets and most embarrassing experiences, all with that dark blue gaze. If there was anyone he could succumb to, it was her. However, not a single word came out as he silently waited for her to stop that torture. The girl grinned again, ready to state her judgement.

"You.... Are in love! For real! And you're dating that special someone!" she exclaimed like the cat that just got the cream. "Am I not right?" 

Lance felt like falling to his knees. Worrying this much wasn't good for his poor heart. His perplexed expression slowly turned into a forced and nervous smile, feeling sweat running down his forehead. "Gee... How did you know?"

Rachel laughed as she tasted the sweet victory once again, finally giving the poor boy some personal space to breathe.

"Lance, I've known you all of my life, literally," she joked. "Out of all of our siblings it's me who knows you the most, probably the person who knows you better than anyone else." 

Lance thought about this for a moment, finding she was probably right; they'd been together through hell and back. Even if his mother knew almost everything about him, he could never tell her about the time he spent stealing in the castle. Rachel was always there to cover up for him, and now that he thought about it, she'd probably been covering up for him the past months too. He couldn't help but smile gratefully, silently agreeing with her. 

"So? Who's this mystery person? You obviously don't want to tell the others which is weird in you, considering how much you love bragging about your partners."

Ah, there it was. Rachel might know lots of things, but she wasn't always as understanding. How the boy wished to tell her dear sister everything, share his happiness with her. But he couldn't.

"I can't tell you Rach... I'm sorry," he murmured his most honest apology. Rachel kept quiet for a moment, humming to herself. 

"So they're a criminal, then." 

Lance's mouth fell open. "What?! No, of course not!" he unconciously defended his lover. "I can't believe you see me capable of dating a criminal!"

"Well, aren't you one, in a way? What would be so weird about it? Partners in crime?" She shrugged, making Lance sigh and avert his gaze.

"That's... Different." He seemed to fold into himself, obviously not proud of what he'd done in the past.

"Silly, I know. I'm just teasing you," his sister replied with slightly more kindness, bringing her hands to his cheeks. Once the hunter's eyes met hers again, she proceeded. "It's alright, I won't pressure you further. I've noticed a change in you, you seem... Happier. More motivated to do things better." She smiled sincerely. "I just worry about you. I know you must have your reasons and I'll respect that, but please be careful, okay?"

Unable to feel more content, Lance nodded in return with a fond smile. "Okay. I promise."

"Good." She stretched his cheeks in a playful manner, to what Lance responded with a whine. Laughing, she let him go and walked towards the door. "If they hurt you I'll crush them, never forget that." The hunter laughed at her warning, soothing his own cheeks. "We're going to Luis' house this afternoon. You coming?" Lance widened his eyes.

"Actually, I wanted to spend time with mom. Is she going?"

"I can tell her you want to stay with her." Ah, sweet. What Keith and him had planned could actually work today! How was everything turning out so perfectly? Seeing the girl was about to leave, Lance reached out to her.

"Rachel?" he stopped her before she left, and she turned around to see him. 

"Thank you."


	37. Lesson Three: Flirt Like A Prince

The rest of the morning flew by fairly quickly, maybe quicker than Keith would have preferred. Wasn't that always the case, the more you feared something, the sooner it happened? Keith hoped it wouldn't be that way with the wedding, or the inevitable doom that would follow. 

He took a deep, deep breath before heading out of his room, towards the guards' quarters. At this time, he should probably be there, unless he'd gone hunting. They hadn't really made definite plans, but Lance had said they could go today, right? Why not now? He still had hours of rare free time before dinner at eight, and they had a good plan. Well, good... It might work. He opened the doors and nearly walked into Shiro.

"Hey, Keith," the man said. "Why the rush?" Keith quickly looked around, but only saw the abandoned room, filled with beds and tables for the soldiers to rest and relax in between shifts. Keith bit his lip when he didn't find who he was looking for. "I'm trying to find-"

"Lance." Shiro chuckled. "You should be more careful, you're being too obvious." He closed the door behind Keith. "You're welcome to wait, he should return soon. Why do you need Lance?"

Keith bit his lip and looked down. Jesus, he couldn't even think about Lance without that embarrassing blush creeping up his cheeks. "Well, uhm.. He's taking me... I wanted to go riding with him." 

Keith wanted to tell Shiro everything, but he wasn't sure the man would approve. After all, this was a big risk. Maybe Shiro wouldn't think meeting Lance's mother was worth all this trouble. Keith himself wasn't even sure, but he knew how much it meant to Lance. 

He saw Shiro's expression, knew the man meant to question him about it, ask on about Lance and tease him for going riding together, but approaching footsteps interrupted their conversation. Keith gave his brother a quick nod and the commander opened the door, smiling at someone before stepping out. 

The moment after, Lance stepped into the room, fully equiped like he would if he went hunting. His eyes widened slightly at finding Keith in there as well. It was highly unusual for royalty to even bother opening the guards' quarters, so that was one room he'd never expected to find the ravenette in. 

"My prince, what a pleasant surprise," he greeted him with a slight tension in his voice as he looked around the room, only relaxing when he was sure there was no one else but them. Huh. Well you look at that. "Pleasant indeed," he now spoke smugly, looking at Keith again as he approached him with a smirk. 

"I'd have never guessed you'd be here. Were you looking for something?" He stopped right in front of him, looking down so there were only inches between them. The hunter would expect the prince to send someone looking for him, he could be anywhere in the castle, or he may not even be there but working instead. So the fact Keith was looking for him personally really gave Lance a boost of confidence. He held his satchel with one hand, the other laying on his hip while he looked at those indigo eyes expectantly.

The Prince smiled as his lover came in. Anything looked good on this guy, Keith thought, eying his dirtied hunting clothes. "Actually," he said. "I was looking for you. I knew you'd come here eventually, as soon as you were done hunting. I though we might.. take a ride together?" 

He stood up straighter, staring up into Lance's beautiful eyes, gently laying a hand on the boy's hip. He knew he shouldn't get so close in such a public place, but he couldn't resist the bright lure of Lance's physique. So beautiful... 

He let his eyes travel down for a moment over Lance's leather clad chest, his muscled arms, his narrow hips... All off it was gorgeous. But he was so much more than that. He was charming and funny and incredibly kind, and amazing at loving someone. Because damn, Keith felt loved, so loved. And Lance was hís. How had he gotten so lucky? 

He met Lance's eyes again, blushing because he knew the other hadn't missed his not-at-all subtle gaze along his body. He carefully pulled Lance even closer, until there was nearly no distance between them all all. 

"Take me to meet your mother, Lance," he breathed, staring into the deep blue.

Lance was still slightly blushing at being checked out shamelessly like that, his heart beating when Keith brought him closer instead of getting flustered. Weird flex but ok. 

"My, that sounds as if you wanted to ask her for her blessing," he chuckled. That was what he was going to do, in a way, ask for her approval in their relationship, but it had sounded more like that. Perhaps a wedding blessing? He took one of his hands to Keith's cheek, slowly, tracing circles on his warm skin. 

"Guess what?" He lowered his tone, closing the little distance between them until he could feel his breath tickle his lips. "Red still looks great on you." He hinted back at when they first met, that being the first flirt he'd thrown at him in that cold morning. Keith had also checked him out and blushed the exact same way. Some things did never change, and Lance loved it. 

His lips barely brushed the princes' warm and soft. And he pulled away at the last second. "Your wish is my command, my prince." He grinned, bowing down to take his hand and kiss the back of it. 

"Let's go on a ride. No kissing until you have my mother's approval. Just so you feel extra motivated. No pressure tho." He held back his laughter as he turned around and opened the door for them, motioning for the prince to step out like a gentleman.

Why, you ask? Well, throughout the morning Lance had come to the conclusion that Keith was getting satisfied with what he was getting. The hunter thought reminding him that he still had a lot to try and get would be quite exciting. But instead of asking, he would make the prince ask for it himself, even beg for it. He'd make the tables turn again and wear the crown this time. McClain Mischief at it's best.

Jesus fucking christ. Lance would never let him rest, would he? He would just go on teasing and taunting till his last breath. It annoyed the shit out of Keith; he just wanted a fucking kiss. But then why did he like it so much? Lance's almost touch, his words and his grin all played parts in flipping Keith's heart. They released butterflies in his stomach, and he couldn't live with the fluttering, but loved it at the same time. 

So why didn't Lance want to kiss him anymore? Was it truly for motivation like he said, or did he hate the way Keith kissed? Was he a bad kisser? Well, he'd been one before, and Lance had never minded. So why now? 

He stepped out of the room, forcing his cherry cheeks to quiet down their constant burning, and tried desperately not to look behind him, for he knew he couldn't bear that grin for one more second without actually dying of frustration. Whatever Lance was doing, it was working like hell, since Keith already longed for those hot lips on his own again, especially after being so brutally teased. 

That should be illegal, Keith decided. Once he ascended the throne, he'd make a law to ban Lance from teasing him. 

He strode further, hoping to encounter as few people as possible. Not that it was odd, the Prince taking a guard to go riding. But because they might take his still flushed cheeks as a sign of trouble, and Keith didn't want anyone to interfere. 

Luckily, they got to the stables unharmed. The Prince closed the doors behind him and his boyfriend, making sure they were completely alone, and still not looking at him. He didn't want Lance to see the lasting repercussions his actions had had. At least he wouldn't ask Lance to change his mind about the kissing. That would truly evaporate the little dignity he had left. No, never. He'd just have to go without until he got Lance's mother's approval. If he got her approval, that was. Great, now he had even more reason to be stressed. What if she didn't like him, and Lance would never, ever kiss him again? 

Boy, was Lance having fun. The shocked expression in his boyfriend's face had nearly been too much for him, who was about to choke with his own held-back laughter. That was one expression he'd never seen from Keith before. Was that a mix of confusion and frustration, maybe? This would be an interesting day. 

He knew the prince was probably innerly cursing him right now, but in a way, this entire kissing refusal could work as a perfect distraction so Keith's mind had something else to focus on beside the nerves of making a first good impression to his mother. He could tell it was already working, as Keith made all their way to the royal stables without deign to look at him. 

Even if Lance couldn't see his face, he could picture the face he was making in his mind. 'Ah, Keith is soo cute when he gets flustered and moody,' he thought with a snicker as the ravenette closed the doors. He eyed over the place, finding no one was there except them and headed to prepare the white horse he'd been lent the first day he went riding with the prince. He'd left Kalt at home due to his mother's request since it was 'grooming day', but no one at the village would suspect anything as long as it wasn't the prince's horse, right?

As he finished saddling it, the hunter glanced at the other boy from behind the horse, his indigo eyes fixed on saddling Kosmo. There was no way he could be truly mad at him, could he? Lance walked towards the prince, who was giving him his back, and slowly hugged him from behind. 

"Aw, come on, my prince. You're not really mad at me, are you?" The brunette then leaned to whisper in his ear, Keith's hair brushing his chin. "I'm just playing." He smiled, giving his earlobe a little kiss.

Keith made the mistake of pulling the wrong leather strap up, and had to rearrange his girth. He nearly jumped when Lance closed his arms around him, his body still tense. But then Lance spoke, and he relaxed beneath his embrace. 

"I know," he said, his voice obstructed in a way that showed just how much he hadn't known that. He wasn't used to people joking with him, and definitely not in this flirty way. It was horrible. But still, as those soft lips brushed his skin, he couldn't truly be mad. 

He tightened the straps and dropped his arms down, taking a deep breath but not looking at Lance. "I just.. I thought you might be mad at me, or just not like kissing anymore, or not like me anymore, or not want to introduce your mother to me," he started rambling, nerves and fear mixing in his voice. He want even sure what he was saying anymore, all his worries spilling out. 

"I'd understand if you were ashamed of me, I'm not exactly--I mean, I'm the Prince, and your mom will hate me more than she already does, and then you will too and you'll never kiss me again and I don't want it to end yet." He took a deep breath, stilling his lips from their constant moving and leaning back against Lance's chest. 

"I'm just afraid of losing you, all the time." He might lose Lance somewhere in the future, maybe even soon. And until that time, the Prince wanted to make the most of their relationship, even though that might make it harder when they eventually did fall apart. His fingers clenched into fists at that thought, but let go after a moment, looking up again to stroke Kosmo's neck. 

"So no, I'm not really mad at you." He wished he hadn't said all of those things. Why had he exposed himself like that? It was embarrassing. Feelings were overrated anyway, only showing up when you least needed them, at wildly inconvenient times, like just before meeting someone's mother. Stupid feelings. 

...That was certainly not what Lance had expected. As soon as Keith started saying all those things, Lance felt a pang of regret for teasing him like that. He'd grown so used to doing it over the years that he still forgot everything was new for the prince, some parts probably confusing. He hadn't been one to grow used to playing games, unlike the forever upbeat hunter, who always tried to make every situation seem like a joke. 

He waited until the boy in his arms finished expressing how troubled he felt and slightly tightened his previously loose embrace, both to comfort him and demand his full attention - which had seemed to get stolen by his inner insecurities. He couldn't allow that. 

"Love, you worry too much," he spoke softly, still close to his ear but now nuzzling his head. "Why would I think any of those things? I asked you to meet her because it's the right way of doing things, because it feels-.. It makes us feel closer to a regular relationship. Y'know, a regular couple whose only worry in the world is getting the mom's approval. No near death experiences, no fights, no pretending, just... Two young souls in love." He unconciously began to slowly swing from side to side, almost dancing Keith's worries away.

"My mom doesn't hate you. If she did she'd have locked me up in my house already and come to tell you to stay away from me." He laughed slightly, knowing by prior experiences he wasn't lying. 

"And I wouldn't get you to her if I wasn't proud of you and how far you've come, how much you've changed for the better. I could never hate you, loving you this much." He smooched his forehead with a funny sound, smiling. 

"So you don't have to be afraid of losing me if I'm right here with you. I'll always be. You know I'm unstoppable," he joked, raising a hand to gently caress his cheek. "And for the record? I love kissing you, you have no idea how much I do." 

He then gently moved his chin so he would finally look at him, the distance short between them. His blue gaze was half lidded and shimmered with a bright longing, him biting his lower lip as he knew Keith was probably able to feel his heartbeat against his back. "I really, really want you. All of you."

Keith slowly relaxed under Lance's gaze and embrace. He'd been panicking unnecessarily again, hadn't he? Lance's sweet words brought a smile to his face, and then a blush to his cheeks. His eyes fluttered from Lance's eyes to his lips, feeling the allure pull him closer, and closer--No. He could resist this. 

He turned back around, the warm feeling of love still inside him. "Alright then," he mused. "Let's go meet your mother." He grinned. "Because I intend to kiss you again, and I can't do that without her permission, now can I?" 

He tightened the saddle completely and grabbed the bridle and slipped it over Kosmo's head, whispering soft words of affirmation. He cursed mentally when he automatically turned back to Lance to give him a kiss, and only just controlled himself, giving him a smile instead. 

Only now did Lance's last words really get through to him. Lance wanted him. All of him. What did he mean by that? His low, seductive tone and that horribly attractive look in his eyes gave off a strong, sensual energy that Keith could barely handle. Was he implying anything inappropriate? The Prince blanked for a moment, just staring at his boyfriend. 

Then, he did the only logical thing. He turned around, jumped onto his horse and rode out of the stables. Ha, take that, Loverboy Lance. 

To be honest, Keith wasn't sure what to do if Lance really wanted to go all the way. For one, he could barely handle the kissing, he would explode if they went further again. He wasn't sure how he survived last time, he barely remembered the occasion. 

Secondly, he had no idea how all the technicalities of intimacy worked, and would rather not embarrass himself further by asking Lance. Not that he had anyone else for those kinds of things. Hm, he might be able to ask Shiro. Keith would have to keep it very subtle and casual, so his brother wouldn't realise what Lance and he were doing together. Yes, that would totally work. 

He slowed a little as he approached the woods, feeling a bit ashamed at his sudden exit now, hoping Lance wouldn't be pissed when he caught up.

Oh. My. God. Keith had NOT just done that. The brunette had been genuinely happy that his lover returned him good vibes, he'd even felt they were both high in love for a moment. The blush, the smile... Lance lived to see that expression. To see him ok, calm and happy, he wished for nothing else. 

Keith had seemed to surprisingly resist to his affection trap, which, again, Lance wasn't expecting him to. If there was something he was overly confident about were his alluring skills. He didn't need a crown to always get what he wanted, and most of the times he didn't even have to do anything; he was naturally gifted with a strong attraction power. Ah, his blessing and curse. No one could resist to his charms.

So when Keith left the stables, Lance's mind could barely process what had just happened, his expression between speechless and offended. How dare he??? HE DID NOT-

'Okay Lance, calm down,' he told himself, inhaling deeply. He turned around and got to the albino horse with almost mechanic movements, him trying to swim across his own big ass ocean of pride.

'You saw he wanted to, he tried to kiss you twice. He's just playing hard to get. Trying really, really hard to play your game along,' he thought as he jumped onto the horse. That should be good, right? That he not only understood it was inoffensive teasing but decided to join him instead of falling immediatly. 

Lance considered making Keith beg or even try to kiss him so he'd dodge the kiss, but... He guessed it could also be fun if he teased Keith to the limit, tested his self control until he exploded. It would be thrice as satisfying, enough to cure his hurt ego. 

What would Keith choose? Would his self restriction be stronger than his desire? Lance knew just how intensely eager the prince truly was. Hell, he still couldn't believe he'd managed to escape his previous predatory grip. He was sure he'd had him.  
...And he had. Keith's pride was just too big sometimes. But Lance had already won this game.

After his shock dissipated he caught up with Keith, raising his gaze only to shot him a cocky grin once before riding through the woods at a high speed. 'You wanna play? Then let's play, pretty boy,' it declared.

When Keith caught his gaze, he immediately regretted everything he'd ever done, while at the same time a wave of excitement washed over him, leaving him nearly incapacitated. 

He blinked, watching Lance speed past him, and quickly drove Kosmo to catch up, to beat Lance's challenge. What had he gotten himself into now? He hung low over the horse as she waved through the trees, leaped over streams and found her way back to the proper path, where her hooves quickly strode beside the other horse's. 

Keith looked beside him, a purposeful grin on his face, loving the feeling of running like this, running next to Lance. He might not be able to beat Lance in this mental game, but he could at least give him a run for his money, make it very difficult for him. 

He gave his boyfriend an exaggerated wink and sped up even more, running past him. He laughed into the air, before slowing down and coming to a complete halt beside a tall oak tree, still smiling widely and watching Lance slide to a stop beside him. 

"Not bad, Lancey," he mused. He might not be very experienced in this whole teasing thing, but he was ready to try. After all, the Prince had always been a quick learner. And yes, the expression on Lance's face nearly let him crumble into a puddle of flustered prince, but he needed to give the hunter a taste of his own medicine. 

He met Lance's eyes for a moment, before sliding off of Kosmo and petting her head gently, as the loud panting of two horses filled the air. He really should learn to take it slowly someday. "I hope you brought me some clothes to wear, otherwise I won't make it into town," he said, without looking at his boyfriend.

The hunter, however, was still on the white horse. While riding he wasn't surprised by Keith catching up, he knew just how excellent horseman he was, but his abrupt appearance out of nowhere did surprise him, and the wink? Holy mother of god thank his ribcage for keeping his heart in place. He was so gorgeous. One would think he'd be used to it by now, but he probably never will. 

He let out laughs of joy, contaiged by the prince's, and trying to slow down the strong horse. Except this was harder than he'd anticipated. He shot a smile at Keith for the nickname as he managed to make the mare stop running, but she was restless and unsettled, her tail waving in annoyance as she paced backwards. 

"Hey, easy girl-" the brunette tried to gain control while taking off his satchel and throwing it to the prince's hands, gripping the reins after. 

"Of course I did." He spoke to Keith this time. "Everything's inside. The blouse is that one color that fits you so well." He stuck a bit of his tongue out in a playful manner, until the mare's discomfort neighing caught his attention again, making him frown.

"Alright that's enough Silver!" he called her by her name, upset. "Is this a personal grudge or something? It's you who threw me off and abandoned me in a very dangerous situation! I was injured! And the prince could've been taken!" he told the mare off, reminding her how she just ran away leaving him to his luck in the middle of the forest. 

Silver neighed as if she was grumbling, lowering her head like she knew she was being scolded and stopped her nervous pacing. Her ears lowered as well, almost showing regret. Lance held his angry pout a few more seconds before sighing, reaching to gently stroke her neck. 

"It's alright, I know I'm not what you're used to. I'm not used to riding horses as strong and fast as you either. I know I stressed you out that day, I'm sorry, too. But I need you now again, so... Truce?" He patted her, the mare raising her head and making a sound of approval. Lance smiled, taking strands of her mane to make braids while Keith finished changing.

Keith tried to keep in his laughter while he heard Lance talking to the horse. It was... ridiculously cute. Keith talked to his horse too, of course, but he never had actual conversations with her. 

He reached into the bag and pulled out a faded red shirt, along with the classic black cloak. When Lance wasn't looking, he held it close to his face and took in Lance's scent. Jesus, he smelled so nice. The Prince shook the feeling off - he wouldn't let Lance see - and started undressing. His own pants looked quite basic, even though they'd been made from the finest materials, so he wouldn't have to replace them. 

The first rays of spring sun lit up his pale skin when he undressed, quickly covered again by the red fabric. He turned to Lance again and cursed to himself. Everytime he looked at that idiotic boy, still talking to the horse, he felt his resolve to resist his flirting crumble further. Sooner or later, there would be nothing left. 

He walked up to Lance, stopping by his side and not looking up at the boy towering over him on the horse. Keith lifted one hand to brush the mare's neck, which she seemed to appreciate. 

"So," he addressed Lance, still watching the horse. "Are you going to just sit there, or help me up?" He chuckled softly. "Maybe you're scared that you won't be able to handle me between your thighs." Keith really stepped outside his comfort zone here, but it was worth it to taunt Lance. Hopefully. Keith had no idea how Lance would react, or if his words affected Lance like it did the other way around. Well, he'd find out soon enough, when one of them won this unnerving game of wits.

Ah, there it was again, those indigo eyes avoiding his own. What, was his dazzling blue gaze too much for him? Lance smiled to himself at that thought, before Keith's next words caught him off guard. 

"Pfft." He looked up with a chuckle, a subtle, barely visible red appearing on his cheeks, more due to the unexpected combination of words in the prince's inexperienced lips than anything else. Keith was really trying, he'd give him points for that. But he'd have to try harder if he really wanted to put on a fight. 

"I'm afraid you're wrong, mister. I will be the one between your thighs." He lowered his voice as he spoke, each word more subjective and full of lust than the previous one.

He held three seconds of silence with his head low, just smirking at Keith with that knowing look of his, before extending his arm for Keith to take. "Because I'll be the one leading. It's me who knows the village and where my house is, dork. Plus, if you lean on my shoulder it'll be less likely anyone sees you." He easily gave his meaningful words a twist like nothing ever happened, waiting for Keith's grip to pull him on.

Keith swallowed deeply. What did he mean by that? It sounded so... provocative. Lance knew exactly what this was doing to the Prince, he could see it in that stupidly hot smirk. 

Keith averted his gaze again, blushing subtly, and then took Lance's hand to swing onto the horse behind him. So close. The curved saddle automatically pressed his body against Lance's, and he took in a sharp breath. Very close. It didn't hurt anymore to touch Lance, but now he had to deal with a whole new array of emotions. Love. Affection. Desire. Lust. Fuck, no. He still wanted to win this. 

He wrapped his arms around Lance's slowly, letting his hands slide over every inch of his chest. His chin fit beautifully on top of Lance's shoulder like this, and Keith took in his wonderfully free scent, smiling vaguely. One hand pulled his hood so far over his head that it obscured part of his vision, and then he gripped Lance tightly again. 

"Okay," he whispered in the boy's ear. "I'm ready. Let's go, baby." He smirked and added something else. "You can take me." He so hoped Lance would understand both of those meaning, because he meant them both. In a way. 

His smirk fell when they started moving. Due to their.. position, every of the horses steps made Lance's behind grind against him in some really sensitive places. Shit, he should have thought about this before getting on. But Keith could totally control himself this time. He'd gotten better at hiding his bodily reactions since he and Lance got together. So he just clenched his teeth and gripped Lance tight around the chest, closing his eyes while they rode.

Silver had started walking out the forest, and the hunter was still slightly tense due to Keith's last double meaning sentence, his face red. Thank god Keith couldn't see that. Lance was not expecting such bold statement. Had he meant it only as a tease or had he... Meant it for real? 

It's not like it was new to him, but to do it with Keith? He couldn't deny he hadn't thought about it or wanted it earlier, but he'd always pushed it aside since Keith wasn't ready. Was he now? 

The hunter glanced at the boy in his shoulder, only catching a glimpse of those pretty pink lips. And he immediatly turned his face to the front again, swallowing hard and gripping the reins, his heartbeat uneven. God, he so, so wanted him. But he could keep repressing his desires a bit longer, for the sake of winning his own bet. Keith wouldn't make him bend, even if he could, with just one finger. Focus, Leandro. He breathed deeply, clearing his mind and melting in his lover's warm embrace.

As they got out of the forest they entered directly into the village, lively with humble houses, kids running, merchants selling and a few cattle animals roaming around. Some people waved their hand to Lance as he passed by, him returning their wave with a bright smile. 

It felt odd being here with Keith at the same time, but it was... Really good. They were at his territory now, with no castle guards or Lotors butting in. He could get used to this. 

They passed by a stone fountain, where a tall woman sat, giving flowers to the villagers. She was dark skinned with lighter skin in a few places, and her bicolored hair was tied up in two high ponytails. Her indigo eyes caught Lance and she got up, approaching him with a subtle movement of hips. Lance saw this and stopped.

"Hey Lance~" she greeted him with a smile and longing eyes, offering him a rose. "It's been a while since I last saw you at a party. Where have you been hiding?"

The brunette scratched his nape, taking the flower with a small smile. This wasn't the greatest time to bump into one of his old hook-ups. 

"Hi, Nyma. I've just... Been busy with work." The girl directed her gaze to the person beside him, which Lance covered by moving in front of him to catch her attention again. "What, miss me already?" He raised a narcissistic eyebrow.

Nyma took a strand of her hair and curled it as she eyed him up and down, closing their distance, placing a hand on his thigh and running it up. "Very," she whispered. 

Keith had been perfectly content, sitting behind Lance. He could swear Lance had tensed up at his suggestive words, and counted it as a big win to finally have made his boyfriend at least the slightest bit flustered, for what had perhaps been the first time ever. Just being close to Lance made him feel so good, so calm. 

All of this stopped the moment he heard the commoner girl greet Lance. 

Keith had never been great at reading social situations, but he didn't need any skill to see that this girl was into his boyfriend. 'Nyma' came way too close for his taste, and then she- 

Keith's arms tensed up around his lover, an inaudible growl reverberating through his chest. She had not just touched Lance like that. From their interaction, Keith could make out that they knew each other, were friends, maybe even lovers. No, scratch that, definitely lovers. Keith didn't notice how little Lance reacted to her advances, how he tried to brush her off, he only had attention for the sultry tone of her voice and the fucking hand on his boyfriend's thigh. 

Before he knew what he was doing, before he could reasonably argue that he shouldn't draw attention to himself, he'd hit her hand away with one smack. "Don't touch him," he hissed lowly. Fuck being unnoticed, no one could touch his boyfriend like that. He wouldn't allow them. 

The small, sensible part of his mind told him to keep his face hidden behind his hood and Lance, but he kept eyecontant with Nyma over Lance's shoulder, staring her down. He closed his arms back around his boyfriend and held him tight, as if claiming him.

It all happened too fast for Lance to even react. They were out in the open, he couldn't have guessed Nyma would step his boundaries so abruptly. Well... They didn't really know each other that much anyway. Lance should've prevented it. It was so disrespectful, and made him feel so uncomfortable and wrong he didn't even know how to respond without coming off as rude; he'd frozen. 

And suddenly Keith was snapping her hand off and gripping him tight. It pulled him back to reality; Oh fuck, Keith was there, and he was pissed. The aura he gave off was almost scary, and he wasn't even looking at him, though judging by Nyma's reaction he should look terrifying. 

The girl took her hand to her chest with eyes as plates, surprised, scared and confused all in one. "Excuse me?" 

"Uh.. Sorry, Nyma" Lance hurried to explain, gently placing a hand on Keith's. "I'm kind of... Taken." He smiled sheepishly. The girl's expression dropped. Since when? And why hadn't she heard anything about it? Who was this guy anyway?

"O-Oh.." She couldn't hide her disappointment. "Sorry then, I didn't know. Who's the lucky one?" She looked at Keith, trying to get a better look at him, her eyebrows suddenly twitching. 

"Are those- your clothes?" she gasped in indignation. They'd slept together?! Before she could? What was so great about him anyway? "Hmph." She couldn't take any of this. She scowled, turning around and walking away. 

Lance sighed when she was far enough, noticing just now how tense and uncomfortable he'd been. The horse started walking again, and Lance turned slightly to see the boy behind him. 

"Sorry you had to see that... I didn't know she'd take it so far." He placed a hand on his cheek so he'd relax, leaning to kiss his head. "Thanks for saving me. No need to be jealous, though it was cute." He chuckled.

Keith slowly relaxed his grip, shaking off the tension at Lance's kiss. No need to be jealous. Right. But how to tell his guts that? He was still debating whether to run after Nyma and just have her arrested. That way she would never, ever lay a hand on Lance again. 

"I'm fine," he breathed, not sure whether he was lying or not. He nuzzled into Lance's neck, taking in his scent. "I should probably get used to jealous exes, right? If it was me, I wouldn't want to let you go either," he admitted. Just imagining Lance running off with someone else made him insanely sad, so he shook the thought away. Lance was his for now, and he wouldn't leave him just like that. 

He leaned his chin on top of Lance's shoulder, looking in the distance. "Though, if you're expecting any more pretty girls throwing themselves at your feet, I might need a warning before I challenge them to a duel of honour." He chuckled, the tension fading from his body. 

"And you're wrong. I'm not cute, I'm dangerous, especially to anyone that dares touch you. Okay?" It wasn't just a joke, the Prince knew he only had so much patience, and if someone crossed his lines, or even worse, Lance's... Nyma had already looked at him weirdly, he couldn't risk revealing himself because of some stupid jealousy.

Lance giggled when Keith nuzzled his neck, still as sensitive as always and rolled his eyes. "Sure, cutie." He kissed his cheek. 

He knew the prince was being serious, though the thought of someone going to jail because they flirted with him was hilarious... And adorable. It reminded him just how much he meant to Keith, how serious he was, how much he was willing to do for him. It was reassuring. Yet he'd rather not have his lover feeling negative emotions because of him. 

"No need for honour duels though. I can handle people, this just... Caught me off guard. She wasn't even my ex," he complained. "We were never anything official, she had no right to do that." He frowned. He was sick of people thinking he was that easy. Luckly his mother had seemed to accept he was serious this time. 

He glanced at Keith. Somehow, looking at him always managed to make him feel peaceful. "...Thanks again. It means a lot." He smiled fondly.

They got to the back of a house, with a partially covered, humble fenced stable with a spotted mare in it. Her mane had been gracefully braided with flowers and she was radiant, clearly recently washed. In a separate fenced area stood a cow and a few chickens. 

"Well, this is it," Lance spoke while getting off the white horse, helping Keith next. "It's not much, but it's what we have. And we have chickens. And a cow. Bet you don't have those in the castle." He chuckled, holding him close. "...Are you ready?"

Keith looked around, unable to help the smile on his face. So this was where Lance lived. Keith had almost forgotten people actually lived in such small, humble houses. The cows and chickens and random objects across the yard just seemed so.. Lance. Not in the way that Lance was poor or something, but because.. Keith couldn't explain exactly what he felt. Maybe it was his boyfriend's expression, the way he felt at home, the way his face lit up at the surroundings. He fit in here. 

Keith didn't, very obviously. He felt uncomfortable, like he might get dirty. He knew he was out of place and everyone else could see it too. But then he looked at Lance, and he couldn't help but smile again, at his expression, at his touch. He was doing this for Lance, just like he'd do everything for Lance. 

"I'm ready," he breathed, trying to sound confident. Ready to meet Lance's mother. Right. He was so not ready. Then again, he'd never be ready, so he might as well mess it up now and be done with it. He could do this, Lance would be with him the entire time. Lance would be there. 

The Prince pressed one more quick, soft kiss to his boyfriend's cheek and then turned to the door. "We can't keep her waiting, now can we?"

The brunette smiled with excitement. And a bit of nervousness, he wouldn't lie. He hadn't had the chance to tell his mom Keith would be there. Well... It's not like it should change anything. His mother liked him. 

What could go wrong?

He let go of Keith's waist and took his hand, walking to the back door to knock a certain five knock beat they always used. He gave his lover a small smile and heard footsteps approaching, biting his lip.


	38. How I Met Your Mother

The door was opened by the curly brunette woman, in a way that she only saw Lance first, greeting him with a smile. 

"You're home early, mijo-" Then, as she opened it completely, her eyes fell on those indigo ones, her smile falling as well. At first she took some time to make sure it was him, due to her having seen the prince only as a kid before she fell prey of sickness, but there was no doubt; those were the same violet eyes Queen Krolia had before him. Lance had brought him? This was... Unexpected. 

Even after being told so nicely about him by his son, about how kind he was and everything he'd been through, she couldn't help being slightly alert. It was a similar feeling to that she felt when the Land Lord came asking them to pay each time a higher amount, or the one she felt when the King's guards went downtown to hurt one of the villagers in public. It made her feel uneasy, even scared. Now that he was physically here, he could physically hurt them. She felt the need to protect their house, protect his son and kick him out.

"Ma, this is Keith." Lance's cheerful voice got her out of her inner trance, her eyes shifting from him to the young prince. "You said you wished you could meet him, so... Here he is. He came all this way to meet you, undercover." That... was noble. At least the boy wanted to do things right and meet her first. She appreciated that. Seeing him in those clothes kinda threw her off, he was a prince, yet he didn't entirely look like one right now. Hm.

She placed a small smile on her lips, pulling out her hand for him to shake. "I appreciate the effort, young prince. I'm Rosa."

Keith took the woman in as she stood before him. She looked older than she was, probably due to the disease taking away her youth. Despite her poor living conditions, she took good care of her appearance, similar to her youngest son. She obviously had a delicate touch in her worn hands, one of which was now pointed at him. Fuck. 

He should have discussed this with Lance beforehand, and now it was too late. He should have remembered common people shook hands as a greeting, as opposed to the constant bowing they did at court. He wished he could just take her hand and shake it, but knew it would make him even tense and more pained than he already was. And if she saw his weakness on display like that, she would never let him continue dating Lance. He needed to appear strong, intelligent, proper. 

So instead of shaking her hand, he bowed shortly by tilting his head. "I am Prince Yorak Keith Kogane of Daibazaal, its a true pleasure to make your acquaintance." Okay, that was better. At least he remembered how to introduce himself. 

He kept his face neutral, silently praising himself for letting go of Lance's hand before Rosa- Miss McClain saw. He couldn't let her see any intimacy between the two of them, that would be highly inappropriate. Wait, what had Lance told her about them? Had he told her about the kissing? The touching? Please, no. If she knew he'd been courting Lance all this time without permission, his chances for approval may be doomed before he even tried.

...Well, they were royally fucked. 'Let's go meet my mom,' he'd said. 'What could go wrong?' he'd said. Lance had forgotten the issue wasn't he was a prince. The issue was that he'd been living as a prince. 

He wasn't sure if he hadn't shaken his mother's hand because of the touching thing or because he didn't even know what a handshake was. If it was due to the touching, shouldn't he explain? ...No, Keith would never bring it up himself. Well fuck. 

Okay, but why was he so tense? A 'Hi, nice to meet you' would've been enough, his mother probably wouldn't take this attitude as anything other than prepotency. Keith wasn't like this... He didn't need to put on an act in front of his mother. Lance had spent so much time trying to convince her otherwise. But maybe the thing he'd failed at the most was letting his hand go. If his mom saw they actually liked each other with sweet subtle affection they would buy her in a flash. 

To summarize: Keith needed to be honest. His mom would know if he was lying, and she wouldn't like that one bit. He decided to glance at his mom.

And boy, she was shook. Had this boy just- left her hanging? To bow? Was he expecting her to bow as well? Hell no, she would never. Was he somehow trying to humilliate her? To establish authority? She retrieved her hand, a scowl growing on her brows. 

"...Is shaking the hand of a commoner too low for you, your highness?" she spoke with disappointment, offended. Lance felt his heart sink. She... sounded just like him when he first met Keith. "Save your practiced salute, young man. You better stop pretending before you cross this door."

"Ma, it's not like that," Lance said carefully, like a plea, placing an arm over his shoulders and giving it a soft squeeze to shelter him from the storm in front of him. "He's just tense."  
Rosa frowned, raising an eyebrow at Keith, waiting to see what he had to say.

Wait.. What? Keith didn't understand any of it. He'd been as appropriate as he could have been, so why was Rosa offended? Keith was beginning to think life here was different from royalty, and that he might have to adapt once again to get Lance's mother to accept him. She seemed to have expectations of him that he couldn't fill with being... royal. Of course. Rosa hated royalty. But what to do next? If he couldn't use his taught manners during this visit, how was he supposed to act? 

And then Lance lay an arm around him, and Keith's eyes widened to the size of stars. That was a lot of affection to show in public. He looked up at the boy in confusion, as if asking him for help, but Lance just looked back at him like the next step was obvious. The Prince looked at Rosa again, his mind spinning. He couldn't mess it up any further, or she might chase him off of her property. 

"I apologise if I've offended you in any way, miss," he spoke. "I didn't mean to do such a thing." Okay, he'd apologised. But as his father had taught him, an apology without actions was useless. He took a deep breath, reached forward and took the woman's frail hand in his own, giving it a short handshake. His own hand burned when he pulled it back, but he could ignore that for now. 

His mind flashed to her words. Stop pretending. He wasn't pretending, right? He was just being as proper as he could be. He wanted to look at Lance again, but held himself in, knowing he shouldn't appear weak now. Lance had already called him tense, Keith was obviously not doing great at this whole 'meeting the mom' thing. He averted his gaze to the ground in embarrassment, wishing he could run away, but Lance's arm held him in place tightly.

Lance pursed his lips, looking at Keith with compassion. He didn't need to do that. That had clearly been painful for him, and he seemed to be stewing in his own social anxiety. Yikes. He needed to pull him out of his own self induced panic spiral, and soon. 

Rosa could tell something was off too, and even if she didn't know what it was she felt guilt rising in her somach. Maybe she'd been too harsh with him? Lance had told her how hard it was for him to go out of prince mode the first time he told her about Keith. Expecting him to act like anything other than what he'd been instructed to wasn't fair, and he really did look sorry. She trusted his son's judgement; if he'd said the prince was kinder than he seemed at first, the least she could do was give him a chance. 

"...It's okay, Keith. I think I'm not being fair with you. I'll try to be more understanding," she said kindly, opening the door and inviting him in. Lance gave her a grateful smile. He didn't expect any less from her, he was very lucky to have her as his mother. 

Once inside, she closed the door, sitting to continue crafting a wood figure with a knife. "Give me five minutes to finish this, then maybe Keith can help me with lunch?" She raised an eyebrow at him mischievously. Lance knew this was obviously a test, her mom surely knew royalty never cooked. Maybe she just wanted to see how much Keith was willing to do and learn for him.

"He'd love to," he answered for him to save him more stress. "Can I show Keith my room in the meantime?" he asked like a kid, taking the prince's hand in his and pulling him through the short corridor and to his shared room, being greeted by Blue's chirp. He closed the door behind him, sighing. 

"Alright." He took both of his boyfriend's hands and pulled him to close, sitting on the bed. "What's going on, babe? You do know you don't need to put up a front with my mom, right?" He caressed his hands softly, looking up at him.

Keith shaky breathing subsided at Lance's touch. He was beyond thankful that Lance had gotten him out of there so quickly, a moment longer and he would truly have panicked. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked down at Lance, stroking his thumb over Lance's palm in return. 

"I didn't put up-" he started, but stopped himself. Had he put up a front? He certainly hadn't acted like he did if it was just him and Lance. "I just wanted to make a good first impression," he whispered. "I did it exactly like I always do, with other royals." If it was good enough for royalty, why did Rosa have so much trouble with it? He'd bowed out of respect, something he would never have been allowed to do for a commoner. But she seemed to take it as an insult. 

"I just wanted.. I want her to approve of me, but I messed it up." Like he messed everything up. He distracted himself by looking around Lance's room. Two beds, so he shared it with a sibling. A bit messy, but altogether very homely and comfortable. 

He looked at Lance again and sighed, sitting down next to him. "I'm sorry. I just.. I don't know what I did wrong. I don't expect her to like me, but I at least want her to find me suitable for you." There was a clear difference between the two in Keith's mind. To like someone meant being close to them, being friends, sharing affection. He'd settle for just being suitable, being strong and proper and worthy of Lance. 

He leaned his head on Lance's shoulder, biting his lip and staring out of the window. "I'm sorry, I know you really wanted this to go well. Your mother seems very kind. I'll try to make up for this.. this failure. I'll try to be better. Okay?" Keith turned his head to press a soft kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. "I will be better."

Lance kept his eyes on him, listening quietly and smiling when he'd said it all. This was such a Keith way to think. He slowly laced their fingers together, looking at their hands fondly. 

"You know... I fell in love with you," he cooed. "I fell in love with a kind, caring, humble, generous guy, borrowed beneath layers and layers of prince. I couldn't see that at first, specially since I was so blinded by... Not exactly hate, but a mix of fear and bad experiences. I was wary of you, yet that never stopped me from getting to know you and accept you, like you." He pressed his lips to the prince's knuckles, fixing his eyes on his. 

"What my mom appreciates the most is a kind person, with good values. You can't buy her with all the money in the castle nor royal courtesy, you just need to be yourself. She'll like you just as you are, just like I do. You don't need to 'be better'." He chuckled, glancing up at him with eyes full of love. "...You're already perfect for me."

Ah, how he wanted to kiss him right now, express how much he truly loved him. Too bad he never backed up on his words. "And don't let go of me again. That hurt my feelings," he cooed lowly, leaning his cheek in Keith's palm.

Keith cradled his lover's face, looking at him closely. He'd never imagined someone would look at him like that, so full of love. He smiled at him, pecked his forehead and looked ahead again, leaning on Lance's shoulder. "You're perfect for me too," he whispered. Just be himself, huh? That was what Shiro kept telling him too, he might just finally listen for once. 

He reached for Lance's hand and raised it to his lips. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you either." Alright. Be himself. He could do that. Just.. Take a deep breath, relax, and go meet Lance's mom again. Be yourself. His expression relaxed, he met Lance's eyes, and felt a deep warmth spread through his chest. "I love you, Lance." He felt it in every part of himself, like the love was all he was, every part of him existed just to love Lance. He closed his eyes, breathing out with a smile on his face. 

"Okay, let's get back in there. We wouldn't want your mother to dislike me before getting to know me, now you we?" he joked, standing up and pulling Lance along. "You know, she might think we're up to something. That the evil Prince is taking advantage of her son in his bedroom." He stepped close to his boyfriend, breathing in his ear to remind him that his teasing was far from over, and he was ready to resume now that he'd gotten the insecurities out of the way.

The hunter felt chills run down his spine, making him straighten up. "Oh wouldn't you love that, naughty prince." He chuckled in return. At least he'd managed to cheer him up, that was good. He gave his hand a light squeeze and walked out the room, showing him where the rest of the rooms were as well as the door that leaded to his father's workplace, filled with lots of sharp and pointy tools and weapons. Who knows, that could come in handy someday. After that they returned to the living room, where one more wood figurine had been placed on the table.

"Lance, cielo," Rosa spoke from the kitchen counter. "Could you milk Kaltenecker Two?" Why both the horse and the cow were named the same there was no clear answer other than Lance's siblings being lazy with names. Lance raised his eyebrows slightly, taken aback.

"Right now?"

"Yeah," she replied, taking things out of the cabinets. "I only need one person helping me out with lunch. Keith, could you come over here please?" Ah. Lance had thought maybe he'd be able to help Keith from afar if needed, but now his mom had taken him out of the equation. Well, Keith would be fine on his own. Cooking. For the first time. Sure. He gave him a motivating pat on his shoulder and headed outside.

Keith's eyes widened, and he nearly grabbed Lance by his arm to stop him. Alone? With Lance's mother? ... Great. He swallowed deeply as Lance closed the door behind him. The Prince turned to Rosa again, coming over to where she'd asked him. He could do this, right? If Lance said it would all be okay if he acted like 'himself' - whoever that may be -, he trusted his boyfriend. 

He looked at Rosa, an awkward and tense look on his face, but forcing his lips into what he hoped to be kind smile. What to do? Should he apologise again? He'd done it already, but she still seemed to be waiting for something. What would Keith do? Rosa seemed to be noticing his slight internal identity crisis, and Keith felt the pressure building. He averted his gaze to the floor, clearing his throat. 

"How can I help you, miss?" Good. Very polite, right? Now he couldn't put on a mask anymore, Keith started doubting every little thing. Being a royal may be hard at times, but so very easy in other ways. He never had to think about who he was, because he was a Prince. With Lance, being himself came natural. Lance made everything feel natural. Other people, however.. He'd have to get used to that.

Rosa watched every single thing the young prince did carefully, from his tense posture to his nervous gestures; God this kid was freaking out. It was almost poetic, how a commoner like her made a prince coward. Right... He was still just a boy. 

"I'm assuming you haven't learned much about cooking in your palace classes, right?" she asked with a kind smile, showing no hostility towards him. "C'me here," she motivated him to step closer and took the rest of the ingredients out, including a fresh cod fish. 

"This is a family recipe, cod with cream. I'll take care of the cod so you can start chopping the onion and garlic." She took the piece of onion, a knife and began chopping, first in stripes and then smaller. "Like this, the blade facing outwards so you don't cut yourself, always watch out for your fingers. You have to peel the garlic first then cut it as small as possible, too." She left the items in the cutting table and started cutting the cod, glancing at Keith sideways to make sure he did it right. It was easy, yet she didn't quite know what to expect.

Keith had paid close attention to her example, and now took the knife in his hand the same way she had. Lance's mother had been right, he had never learned anything about cooking. They had servants for that. He had, however, had plenty of training with knives, so found himself having no trouble in copying her movements and cutting the onion in small pieces. 

Rosa's eyes bore into him, he felt them on his every movement. She didn't trust him. Well, why should she? She'd already let a royal into her house and given him a knife, she had every right to be weary. Something in the air pickled his eyes as he started cutting the second half of the onion, but he ignored it. Must be allergies or something. 

Being ordered around like this by someone other than his father was new, but the Prince noticed he didn't mind so much, especially because Rosa seemed so open to teaching him. He pushed the onion to the side of his cutting board and took the garlic, peeling it and giving it the same treatment, blinking furiously to get the tears out of his eyes, but they wouldn't budge. Why were they even there? He wasn't sad, was he? No. He brushed his sleeve over his eyes quickly, and continued working. Rosa would think him insane or weak if he started crying now. 

He finished his work and lay the knife aside, looking at Rosa again as she worked. "Can I.. What should I do next?" he asked her, hands behind his back. Keith had always enjoyed learning, especially at the rare occasion there wasn't an incredible amount of pressure and stress behind it. Cooking brought a sense of independence, being able to make his own food instead of relying on his servants. Besides, if he did this right, Rosa might actually accept him, and that would make Lance happy. Hmm, maybe there was some pressure behind this.

The brunette woman looked at his work, slightly surprised by how fast he'd picked it up. "Very well done. I'm impressed, and the onion somehow didn't make you cry either. It still makes Lance cry from time to time." 

She chuckled a bit, taking one of the four potatoes in her hand and the knife in the other, peeling it. "Now could you peel the potatoes like this? Wash them a bit after. I'll fry the onion." She took the chopped pieces and put them in the saucepan with olive oil to low heat, adding milk to the cod. 

"...I see you're quite skilled with the knife," she pointed out, glancing at him. "Mind telling me more about yourself? What you're good at or what you like to do?" Surely he had to be good at certain royal things, but she wanted to know him beyond that, his own ambitions.

Onion was supposed to make you cry? Why would you eat something that made you cry on purpose? He took one of the potatoes and started peeling it, which was more difficult than he'd anticipated. After a few strokes, he started getting it, and looked up at Rosa again. 

Right. Something about himself. She certainly didn't want to hear more of the royal bullshit, but what else was there to tell about him? His mind flashed back to moment Lance asked the same question, as they rode together through the woods on one of the first days of their trip. What had he told Lance at that moment? 

"I.. I like riding. On horses." He could have hit himself. Of course on horses, what else could you ride? 

Keith cleared his throat, focusing on the potatoes again. "I also enjoy drawing, but I haven't had much time to do so lately, with all the wedding preparations-" Fuck. It might not be the smartest move to mention getting married to another man while speaking to the mother of the man you love. Great job, Keith. Keep going like this and you'll never be allowed to see Lance again. 

He needed to change the subject, quickly. "I.. Uhm.. I spend a lot of time with my Commander of Guards, Shiro. But most of all, I love being around Lance." He smiled vaguely, a pink flush dawning on his cheeks once he realised what he said. Well, Rosa wanted to know he loved Lance, right? Even though it made Keith uncomfortable to talk about his feelings like that with anyone other than Lance, this was a good thing. Right?

Rosa had her lips pursed in a small grimace, eyebrows lifted. It was almost embarrassing to witness how badly the prince handled such an easy question- or the situation in general. There had been a noticeable change from the prince in her door to the prince next to his son and the prince now next to her, alone. Although he was more relaxed, his fear of messing things up kept making him clumsy with his words. Somehow... It fit perfectly in Lance's description of him; mature yet naive, innocent. If that hadn't cracked a smile on her lips, his next mention about her son sure did, that and the adorable pink in his face. It all made him feel more... human.

She took one of the peeled and washed potatoes and cut it in small squares, motioning Keith to replicate it with the rest before going back to the cod and pouring flour in the saucepan. She could ask him very hard questions if she wanted to, make him fight for it, for her visto bueno. But... There was something she wanted to check the most. 

"Lance, huh..." She turned to him, looking him straight in the eyes. " What do you think about him? How... do you really, feel about him?" Again, not like she didn't trust her son's choices, Lance clearly loved him deeply. But was that same amount of affection truly returned?

Keith's gaze shut up at her, eyes wide and cheeks still rosy. Wow, she really went straight for the target, didn't she? His knife faltered as his brain scrambled to find the right answer. What did Rosa want to hear? 

The Prince in Keith pushed him to keep it logical, to stay clear. He just had to say how qualified he found his lover, how their relationship's benefits outweighed the risks, how he would be able to keep up this thing secretly, even after he was married. But.. One look at Lance's mother, and he knew that wasn't what was important to her. It wasn't important to Lance, and Keith cared less and less about it too. 

He layed down his knife, needing to focus to be able to actually say these things out loud, and to a near stranger at that. 

"I.. I love him," he whispered, eyes flitting around, before finally landing to meet Rosa's. "I really, really love him. I know it's unconventional, and I know about the risks involved, but I just can't.. I can't stop it." He took a deep breath, trying to keep the balance between honestly and spilling his emotions everywhere. 

"I tried, at first, to stop it. I tried to push it away, but everytime he smiles at me, I just.." The Prince raised his shoulders, searching for the right words. "He lightens the world, and lifts all my worries, and makes me feel so warm inside." 

He looked down at his unfinished work, and picked up the knife again. "I know you don't like me. You have every reason to, I'm not exactly the most suitable candidate for Lance. He's perfect, and I'm just.. Just a spoiled, stuck up, socially awkward royal," he chuckled, barely noticing what an absolute fool he was making of himself. 

"But I want to make him happy, in any way I can. In all the ways I can. I just want to make him happy," he repeated, sliding the cut potatoes into the pan, and meeting Rosa's eyes once more.

The woman crossed her arms and stared at the boy, throughout the whole speech and after he was done. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it definitely wasn't this. She found certain similarities with what Lance had told her, regarding how hard he'd tried to hold back and failed, accepting it in the process. There was a moment of silence, and then some sort of spark in Rosa's eyes as a small smile formed on her lips. 

"You know, I find it very funny... That you make the exact same blind fool love bird look on your face Lance has when talking about you," she commented, moving to start mixing the cod and potatoes. "Lance has never formally introduced his partners to me. Some of them I already knew, and some of them I never got to meet. Their relationships never grew as strong for that to happen. But the ones I did meet... Never talked about my son the way you have. I could tell they didn't really feel it... Didn't value him as they should." 

She stopped and looked at Keith again, kindly. "Unlike you. I can feel your words aren't just empty poetry. You're being honest, you truly feel what you say, and my son perceives that too." She breathed deeply, looking down for a moment before returning her glance at him.

"You're right. Out of all the people I'd liked for my son, it would've never crossed my mind for him to mix with royalty. Things... Have always been difficult because of it, it's not a wound that can heal on it's own." She frowned. 

"...But I don't dislike you. You are not to blame for your lineage's actions, you're just a young boy, trying to decide what's right, just like any other, just like my son." She dropped her arms, holding her hands together over her dress and throwing him a defeated look. 

"I'm aware life has been harsh on you as well. I understand it may be hard for you to let go of what you've been taught. I shouldn't have judged you before without giving you a chance. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Keith," she apologized sincerely, smiling at him afterwards. 

"The odds are plenty... But I have never seen my son so happy, that's all I've ever wanted. And that is thanks to you. Love is to be celebrated and persevered. If you commit to him, take care of him, fight for him, love him... You have my approval."

Keith's eyes stayed glued to the floor through the whole speech, only flashing up at certain words, words that gave him hope that he hadn't messed up entirely yet. Unlike you. You're being honest. At least she didn't doubt his sincerity. I don't dislike you. I shouldn't have judged you. I'm sorry. And most importantly: You have my approval. 

Keith shot up, eyes hopeful and mouth slowly twisting into a grateful smile. He had Rosa's approval. Lance would be so happy. "Thank you, miss- Rosa. Thank you, Rosa. I know how much Lance wanted you to.. to approve of me." He felt the urge to laugh, to dance, to kiss his boyfriend. To celebrate. 

"I promise, I'll fight for him. I will always fight for him, forever." He met her eyes again after throwing a glance at the pan on the stove. "And.. And I'll protect him too, however is necessary. I'll make sure nothing happens to him. I promise, on my own life." 

He brushed a hand through his hair, chuckling to himself. He actually had her approval, who'd have thought? He couldn't wait to tell Lance. His boyfriend had been right again, Keith had had nothing to be scared of after all. Rosa just wanted her son to be happy, and apparently he was most happy by Keith's side. Wow. Lance had weird taste, falling for such an idiot, but the Prince wasn't complaining. 

Lance had been talking about him to his mother... That was the cutest thing ever, and it brought a fresh flush to Keith's cheeks. At least Keith didn't have to pretend to have dignity anymore, since Lance had already told his mother all about the prince's biggest flaws.

The moment Keith met her eyes and he began to smile, Rosa was sure; Lance had chose right. The prince's aura was suddenly so joyful and warm, and his smile was so pure it was contagious, making her smile just as bright. So he'd done this for Lance. Obviously, but to hear him say it was another thing. He really, truly cared, and his promises got to her heart. She could now understand why Lance had fallen for this boy; he was radiant. 

She took the pan and transferred the mix to a crystal baking dish, poured a layer of cream and sprinkled grated cheese over it to finally put it in the oven. She lit the fire and closed it. "It'll be ready in half an hour. That wasn't hard, was it?" She smiled, her eyes on the oven. 

'I promise, on my own life.' ...Rosa's smile faltered slightly as she stared at the fire, a melancholic yet satisfied glimpse in her gaze. "...The path you both follow won't be easy. There will be ups and downs, times when you doubt yourselves... But I'm happy to know my Lance is in good hands." 

She looked at him again, smiling slightly. "It's a family recipe, one of Lance's favourites. I'll write it down... So you can cook it for him when I'm no longer here." 

And with the same satisfied smile she headed to wash the dishes they'd used. "You can look around if you want or sit, Lance will be here any minute." 

Though she'd made it sound so casual, Keith felt the hidden weight behind those words. When I'm no longer here. The young Prince realised that Rosa must have judged him even harder, because this might be her last opportunity to make sure Lance was safe and happy, when she was no longer there to protect him. So, she really approved of him? That much? 

"I'd be honoured," he spoke sincerely. He sat down on a wooden bench at the kitchen table. Rosa was a realistic woman, she clearly saw the dangers ahead for them. But to see her have faith, to hear her believe that they would make it, that gave Keith hope as well. Before today, their relationship had been a secret little bubble, even though Shiro and Hunk the Cook knew. With Rosa on their 'team', the whole thing seemed so much more real. Lance had been right again, meeting his mother had been the right thing to do for their relationship. 

He looked at her work for a while, wondering if he should offer to help, but it wasn't that much work and she seemed to prefer this. "So," he said, starting a second conversation and hoping she didn't mind. "Lance has been talking about me? What.. What did he say?" 

Lance wouldn't tell her anything bad or embarrassing, right? Then again, it was Lance. His definition of embarrassing actions differed from Keith's by miles. Had he told her about how they'd met? Had he told her about their fight? Wait, he hadn't told her about the night they'd spent together in the woods, right? How much did normal people tell their mothers about their lover? Keith would never, ever tell anyone about their intimacy, not even Shiro, and definitely not his parent. But Rosa didn't seem to mind little acts of affection, on the contrary, she wanted to see them as a confirmation of their love. Still, there was no way Lance had told her everything, had he?

"Oh, what hasn't he said?" Rosa chuckled, her eyes on the dishes. "He can't stop rambling about how beautiful you are, how kind you are, how brave you are, how cute you are, yada yada yada." She laughed. "It's almost as if... He loved you so much he couldn't keep it to himself, like it's too much for him. He's such a dork, I've never seen him like this before." She smiled. She swore Lance had hearts in his eyes when talking about him, which she was happy about. Keith did so much good to him. 

"...My Lance hasn't always been treated this well. He met a bunch of people that made him lose more and more confidence, though he usually doesn't show it." She glanced at the prince for a moment. "He seems different now. He tells me he feels like he can do anything when he's with you. You really are something," she complimented him sincerely, taking another dish. 

What else had Lance told her? "...He's told me about- the King. What he's done. At least some of it," she decided to tell him since it concerned him, and she knew Lance wouldn't mind. "He told me... About what happened after you came back from the mission. I think he tried not to, but he was under a lot of stress and worry due to that he needed to rely on someone," she explained in case the young prince didn't like being 'exposed'. 

Talking about all this out loud... Made her remember the gravity of the situation. The marriage was there, but she wasn't sure that was the worst thing that could happen to him with the King close to him. She understood her son's worry . 

She made eye contact with Keith again, a kind yet concerned look on her face. "How... Are you? How have things been lately?"

Hearing about Lance's love from Rosa's perspective was truly something else. Lance actually talked about him at home, to his mother! Lance actually loved him. The Prince didn't doubt his boyfriend's love, of course. He trusted Lance, and if the hunter said he loved him, Keith didn't need anything else. But to hear that Lance actually loved him enough to tell his mother about it, that lit up Keith's face, and he averted his eyes to avoid her seeing that embarrassing expression. 

Just in time. His face fell at her next words. Right, Lance had also told her about that. He and his boyfriend still didn't quite agree on the necessity of the King's punishments, and he wondered whether Rosa shared his opinion. Perhaps. 

"I.. I'm fine," he said, looking down further and biting his lip. "He didn't... I wasn't.." He sighed deeply, gathering his thoughts. "When I came back from the mission, I came back as a failure. My father, the king, he took the appropriate actions to remind me that I can't be a failure." He stilled his shaking hands against the surface of the table, blocking the memory of how he'd felt at that moment, blocking his father's voice and the burning iron again his skin. 

"I'm sorry I let Lance see me like that, I shouldn't have.. But he took care of me, Lance saved me." He looked up at her again, pain and love fighting in his expression, one arm wrapped around his torso and the other nervously scratching at the table. Lance had saved him. He was safe. 

"I don't know what he told you, but my father isn't.." He stopped himself, realising that if Lance didn't want him defending the king, Rosa would definitely not like it. She had suffered more than anyone from the fire, all those years ago. He dropped his gaze again. "I'm sorry. I just.. I don't know. I'm fine."

Rosa looked at him with traces of sadness, thinking as she finished washing the dishes and left them to dry. Lance had also made her aware of how messed up things were and how the prince's vision was clouded by the king's harsh treatment and lies, but to see it with her own eyes, to hear a young boy defend the man who mistreated him... It pained her heart. At least he didn't sound fully convinced, rather... confused, divided. 

She walked to the table and sat down slowly, close to him. She looked at his hand then somewhere in the distance, taking a moment to speak. "..I still remember the golden days like they were yesterday, when Queen Krolia ruled these lands," she started casually, her hands together on the table. 

"She was humble and kind hearted. Sometimes, she would even sneak into the village and read stories to the children, teach them how to read. I have never complained about her, despite our long history with royalty." 

She'd been older than the queen at that time, but both were young and vivid, curious. She met Keith's eyes, sharp and violet, and smiled. "I had almost forgotten... But the instant I saw you in my doorstep I recognized those eyes. I've only ever seen them in another person, years back.

.........

It had been a hot summer day in the market. The travelling salesman came once in a while with exotic food and tools from far away lands. Rosa enjoyed eyeing the articles and showing them to her kids, but this time she'd lost him from sight within the crowd. She looked around, finding the small brunette about to take a woman's bracelet off her wrist.

"Marco!" She ran to him, making him back off from the person. "What are you doing? That's wrong!" She looked up at the woman, who'd noticed the commotion and turned around to see them. She was pale, white as snow with black coal hair, but what caught Rosa's attention more were those eyes. They looked... Purple? Maybe it was due to the light. "I'm very sorry, I don't know what got into him..." 

The younger woman tilted her head and crouched down, looking at the dark blue eyed kid. "Why did you do that, kiddo?" 

The small brunette stared at his worn out shoes in embarrassment. "..W-We don't have much money... We can't afford anything in the market... I just thought... I could make mamá more happy..." His voice trembled, making Rosa feel a pang of guilt. The hooded woman reached to wipe one of his tears away, giving him a smile.

"I understand what you were trying to do, but stealing isn't the right way. Just ask nicely next time, yeah?" She got up, taking out a small bag with a symbol that almost had Rosa faint where she stood. It was Daibazaal's! Stitched with purple and gold. Was she- "What do you want? I'll give it to you."

...

"You really didn't need to do this, your highness. I'm so embarrassed..." The two women sat on a bench, watching Marco play with other kids. Rosa held two bags with several kinds of fruit and kitchen tools, and a few toys for her kids to play with.

"Nonsense. It is no trouble for me to share my luck with my people. I wish I could do more." She smiled sadly, looking at the kids.

"...Thank you, for being so kind with my son. I don't know what would've happened to him if it was any other person." People weren't nice to strangers, especially thief strangers, it didn't matter how old they were. And coming from royalty Rosa didn't know what to expect. She could've been accused of telling him to steal from the queen. 

However, the young queen seemed to find this funny, as she began to laugh. "What else would I do, hit him? I don't approve of such methods. He's just a kid. We all make mistakes, and I'm not a monster," she chuckled. "...Although I understand if you McClains see me that way." Rosa's eyes widened. 

"Brunettes, dark skinned, blue eyed. You, miss, are a McClain, am I right? Our parents didn't get along, but that doesn't mean we have to hate each other." Rosa averted her gaze, humming thoughtfully. 

Since she didn't reply, Krolia decided to change the subject again. "He's an energetic kid. How do you handle such hurricane?" 

Rosa laughed at the adjective. "Actually I have three hurricanes. More might come, who knows. Winds change a lot." The queen stared at her, perplexed. "I know we're struggling, but we'll move forward. We have each other, so everything will be alright."

Krolia hummed as well, looking at Marco. She held a fond gaze towards him, one Rosa knew very well. "If it's not too bold to say, the queen is quite good with children." She smiled suggestively, making Krolia blush with embarrassment.

"I barely know my husband. We haven't even thought of that possibility yet," she stated. "...But..." She looked up, dreaming of a possible future. "I guess I've always... wanted a child of my own. So I could give them a better present. They wouldn't have to sneak outside the palace nor be this emotionless royal puppet nor marry at my age to a total stranger." She chuckled at her own pitiful reality. 

"I would cherish and love them like I never was, I would keep them safe... I would want them to have all I never could. But most of all... I would want them to be happy." She looked at Rosa. "Like your kid, free as a feather."

Rosa only looked back at her, her and her peculiar, warm eyes. "...I'm sure they will be, your majesty."

....

"We never spoke again, but before she knew, she was already excited to have you," she told the prince. "She wanted you to be everything she couldn't be and have everything she wanted to have. She wanted you to have the world." She placed her hand close to his yet she didn't touch him. She wouldn't overstep any boundaries he may have, but she wanted him to know she was there with him. 

"She would've never approved of the King's actions, she never did. That is not love, Keith..." She spoke carefully. "It's not the correct way to teach a kid. It's not necessary nor justified, and it's not your fault." 

She looked him in the eye. "Queen Krolia wanted you to be safe and happy... That's all she ever wanted. That's all a parent wants for their kids. It's not okay being mistreated like this, getting hurt... Are you really happy, Keith...?"

Keith's eyes slowly glanced over while taking in the story. His mother, his own mother had met Rosa, had talked to her. This woman knew the queen better than he ever had. Something in her words, in her tone, hit him harder than he'd expected it to. Lance had told him plenty of times that the king's behaviour towards him was wrong, but when Rosa talked about his mother, about what she would have wanted for him, something snapped inside the young Prince. 

His lips quivered, and he slowly shook his head. No. He wasn't happy. He tried to be, and Lance made him feel amazing, but he wasn't happy with his life. "No," he croaked, gripping the edge of the table. "No, I'm.. I'm not. I can't.." He whined as his last resistance slipped away, as his barriers broke and the wave flushed away the illusions. 

His skin shook, goosebumps sweeping over his arms. "I can't.. I don't understand... It hurts so bad," he breathed, a line of tears threatening to break past his lower lashes. "I thought I could take it, but it's too much. I don't want to.. I can't take it anymore." He wrapped a second arm around himself as tears spilled over his cheeks. 

"I want to make him proud, but I can't. And he just keeps hurting me, and it hurts so much-" His voice broke once more, feeling both more embarrassed and comforted as he looked up into her blue eyes, so alike her son's, but surrounded by deep wrinkles.

His voice took a while to come back, obstructed by tears and the heavy lump in his throat, though now he sounded calmer, clearer. "Sometimes I feel like he ruined me. I can't.. I can't touch people, because it hurts. He made it hurt. I don't know how Lance got through, but he's the exception. I feel so much fear," he whispered. 

"He keeps telling me that it's all for my own good, that it makes me stronger, but all I feel is fear." Keith did something completely out of character, and pulled his knees up to his chest, needing a hug more than anything right now. If no one could touch him, he'd have to try to fix himself. 

"Maybe my mother wanted me to be happy, to be completely different from what I am now. I wish she was still here. It may be weird to miss someone you've never met, but I miss her so much," he croaked, closing his eyes, imagining she was still there beside him. 

Everything would have been different. If Queen Krolia had been as amazing as everyone kept telling him she'd been, Keith would have had the most amazing life. No pain, no endless studies, no arranged marriage. Maybe Krolia would have allowed him to date commoners, even marry them. He and Lance would have been so happy. With Queen Krolia as leader, the kingdom would have been happy, and there might not have been a rebellion to defeat. Keith would have known what it was like to be loved, truly loved, even before he met Lance. Keith would have been loved. 

He shook where he sat, curled into a ball and hiding the stream of tears in his knees. "I just want to be happy," he whimpered, his mask and illusions further away than they ever strayed.

Rosa, wise and patient, listened to the prince and picked every detail, every struggle, how difficult this was for him and how it gradually got easier. He grew to open up and accept it. And was Rosa ready? She thought she was. However she caught herself tearing up as the boy started spilling, shaking as if the pain was unbearable, talking about how his own parent did such wrong to him, how he was scared of him. 

It now made sense, why he didn't want to shake her hand earlier that day. He literally couldn't. And then he'd forced himself to do so, just so she would approve of him. That man... Was truly a monster. Just how Queen Krolia had described such actions, only a heartless being could do such atrocities. 

Seeing him curl up made her feel the need to hug him, but she stayed put. However, she was quick to come up with an alternative and got up to take one of the blankets from the couch, came back, moved her chair next to the boy and wrapped the blanket around him. 

"It's ok, mijo," she said while sitting, tears rolling down her wrinkled face as she pulled him close to her, embracing him tightly. "You deserve to be happy."

Her lips quivered along, feeling deep compassion for the prince, understanding her son's feelings and how he was affected as well more than ever. "No one should go through something like this. No one deserves such pain, such life... You're completely innocent. None of this is your fault. Never blame yourself again."

She blinked looking up, trying to clear her sight as her emotions got all over the place. She swung him like a mother would do to her baby, comforting him. "I can't imagine how it must've been like... To deal with this all these years on your own. You poor boy... You don't have to hold back," she whispered, caressing his back over the blanket. "It's ok to feel what you're feeling. Your feelings are valid. You are valid." Her voice trembled. 

"We... We all miss Queen Krolia. Now more than ever I wish things would've been different. But life took a different path, and we have to work with what we have. And that does not mean you have to accept it. Keith, you deserve happiness. Everyone does. You may have to stand up against the King one day... And when the time comes you will be ready, and it will be okay," she cooed. 

"You're a strong young man, you've come so far, you've kept fighting... And I am proud of you. So, so proud..." she sobbed, hugging him tight. "You have the same kind soul your mother did... You will do what's right, stand up for yourself, for the people you care about. You will do great things, and become the man your mother wanted you to be. You deserve to be loved, Keith. You are not alone, we're here for you, and one day, you wíll be happy."

Keith cried. He cried for his mother, for her death. He cried for his father and all the pain he'd inflicted on his son. He cried for the life he'd never had, the life that he was supposed to live if it wasn't for one terrible detail. And he cried for himself. The young Prince let out all the cruelty, the unfairness, the horrors that had happened to him in the form of heavy tears. 

He leaned into Rosa's touch, thankful beyond belief that she'd found some way to comfort him without making him uncomfortable. It helped. The embrace reminded him of Lance, warm and forgiving, but so much more. This was a mother's hug, Keith could tell despite never having experienced it before. The Prince loved it. 

He took Rosa's hand through the blanket, careful not to hurt himself, and stilled his crying. "Thank you, Rosa," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "I think you're right. My father.. What he does to me.. It's not right. That's not love," he echoed her words. For years, he'd been able to lie to himself, to say it was all for the greater good. That the pain meant he was learning. But his mother, the Queen, would never have wanted him to live this life. His mother wanted him to be happy, even if she wasn't there to help him. Keith wanted to be happy too, and maybe he even deserved a little happiness, after all this time. He could make a difference, a real difference, if he just tried harder. 

"I want to make her proud. My mother," he said, looking up at Lance's mother. "I want to be the person she believed I would be." But how? How could he change himself, change what he'd been taught? What would Lance say? Start small, do the right thing. 

He sat up straight again, turning to Rosa completely. "I am sorry," he said. "I am sorry for the pain my family has caused yours. My ancestors have been unfair and violent for years, and you have suffered for it. My father continued that tradition, of ruining your family, but I will not. I am sorry." If he could fix this wrong, he could fix every issue his family created, one by one. He could make a difference.

The brunette woman had held him, comforted him as her own tears stopped falling. At one point she'd caught her son looking through the window, a confused and worried expression in his eyes. Rosa's gaze had told him not to worry and that he should wait a moment outside before the prince started speaking again. 

To hear it... Was painful. But she was happy the boy no longer believed in those cruel lies. And then... He apologized. Rosa was not expecting it, and it showed in her surprised wide eyes. "...You don't have to apologize, mijo, it's not your fault..." she explained, staring at those familiar eyes. "But..." He... Truly did look like the Queen. 'Our parents didn't get along, but that doesn't mean we have to hate each other.' At that time she hadn't replied, too bitter and confused to give the Queen an honest answer. It was curious and almost poetic how destiny had made her son sit next to her in her own house, now apologizing for his ancestor's actions, for everything they'd went through.

...Rosa smiled, holding his hand back and letting go of a heavy weight she'd carried over the years. "I forgive you." Forgiveness. Can you imagine? "And I know one day the others will forgive your ancestors, and let go of this stupid resentment. It's quite old fashioned, isn't it?" She laughed, slowly letting go of him to get up and take the cod with cream out of the stove before it burned. 


	39. That's Called Sexual Tension, Your Highness

Meanwhile Lance peeked from the door, hesitantly opening it and walking to let down the bucket in the kitchen. Okay, something had clearly happened and he'd missed it. 

"Is... everything ok?" He raised a concerned eyebrow, his eyes switching from his mother to Keith. Rosa just threw a smile to the prince, as if telling him to reply. 

Keith chuckled, wiping his tears away with one sweep. Lance looked so very cute when he didn't know what was going on. "Everything is fine," he said sincerely, looking from Lance to Rosa and back. He pulled the blanket off his back and folded it carefully, standing up to drape it over the couch. 

"Everything is.. good. We were just talking about some difficult subjects, but it really helped me," he said, addressing his words to Rosa as a sign of gratitude. She had not only made him realise he deserved better than how his father treated him, but had also physically comforted him ánd helped him work through a major cause of guilt, by forgiving him for his family's sins. 

Keith turned back to Lance, a careful smile on his face. He stopped right in front of his boyfriend and gently took his hand, thereby apologising for letting it go earlier. Besides, he wanted to show Rosa that he wasn't a cold person with Lance, that he enjoyed little acts of love. 

He looked up into his boyfriend's eyes, wondering whether he should tell him everything, or keep it a secret. One look at that deep blue convinced him. He knew Lance would understand from a few words that Rosa had given her blessing.

"You can kiss me again, Loverboy," he breathed, quietly enough that Rosa wouldn't hear them. He still wasn't sure how open Lance wanted to be about the whole intimacy thing between them, but he himself wasn't used to touching in public at all, so holding hands before Lance's mother was a pretty big step. Kissing would go too far, right? Rosa might judge them for that. No, holding hands was as far as they should go in public. In private, though, Lance could give him all the kisses he so desired. Maybe even more... 

A soft blush dawned on his face as he considered the possibility. He could invite Lance to his tower tonight - not like he ever slept at home these days, but he'd make it explicit enough for Lance to understand his meaning. They could at least.. cuddle. Maybe. If Lance wanted to. Okay, not the right time to think about things like that, not with Lance's mother in the same room. That's inappropriate, Keith. He averted his eyes, because Lance's pretty face was doing nothing to distract him from the thought of tonight.

That sentence alone was enough to wipe all the hunter's previous worries away, replacing them with joy and excitement. "Yes! That's great!!" he exclaimed happily, picking his prince up and spinning with him as he laughed with content. They had his ma's approval! Well, that had been quite fast. He'd expected it to take some more time so he could keep teasing Keith with his kissing denial, but oh well. This were wonderful news. They were truly official now! 

He let the prince down, still chuckling with him in his arms. His mother approved of his lover, of them being together. He leaned his forehead against Keith's, looking at him dearly. "Of course. Who could say no to that face," he chuckled. Keith had looked... Different, when he came in. Good different. Like he'd let go of a weight that held him down; He seemed happier. Whatever his mother had done it had helped him. 

He glanced at her, giving her a grateful smile, then at the food being served. Cod with cream! Could this day possibly get any better? "You cooked cod with my mom? Aww." He smiled at the boy in his arms. 

Speak of character development. Wait, was he... blushing? He'd barely noticed with all that spinning. Sure, Keith blushed a lot - which Lance found irresistibly cute - but he'd seemed... ashamed, for a brief moment. Lance raised an eyebrow at him. He'd known him long enough to know that look. Where had his little naughty mind sent him to?

Keith met his boyfriend's eyes for a moment, and knew Lance had read his mind once more. One day, it would ruin him, that Lance always knew when he was thinking inappropriate things. One day, he'd actually die of embarrassment, drown in his own blushing. In a look, he told the boy he didn't want to discuss it now, and that they'd get back to it later. 

Once the room stopped spinning around him, he resisted the temptation to kiss Lance, and pulled him along to the table where they sat down. "Yes, we cooked for you. I heard it's your favourite, and your mother is an excellent cook ánd teacher, so good that she managed to teach even me," he joked, helping Rosa distribute plates and cutlery from where he sat. 

The three of them filled their plates and started eating, the food creating smiles on all faces. Keith totally understood why this meal was Lance's favourite. It tasted homely and comfortable, just like the meal Lance had once cooked him. Maybe that's what family recipes always tasted like. Maybe that's what family was supposed to feel like. 

He lowered his fork and turned to his boyfriend. "So? Did I do a good job? Does it taste like it's supposed to?" He was confident he'd done all the right things, everything Rosa had instructed him to do, but still.. You could never be sure with sensitive things like cooking. He wanted to able to cook this for Lance in the situation Rosa had warned about, when she was no longer there. He needed to be able to do it perfectly, so Lance could depend on him. Lance seemed to be enjoying it, so that was a good sign. 

Keith continued eating as well, desperately trying not to get too distracted by Lance's eyes, by his lips. If he didn't stay focused, he might kiss Lance, right in front of his mother. And they couldn't have that, now could they?

Indeed, Lance was enjoying it. He'd never get tired of eating that. These last years his father and siblings had tried to replicate the recipe with no success. It just... Didn't taste the same. Perhaps due to the secret ingredient his ma always mentioned, tons and tons of love. But how could they add possitive feelings to it when baking it brought back so many memories? He swallowed down and looked up at his boyfriend. 

"It's perfect, cariño. I love it," he praised him sincerely. Keith had done a great job, specially considering he's never cooked anything before. Not like he really needs to learn anyways. "I would say it tastes even better, with extra love from you. Thank you." 

He smiled before continuing to eat, feeling Keith's eyes on him. 'Wow,' he thought with an amused smile. 'He must be starving right now. And we're eating. Guess the kissing hiatus did work after all.'

Rosa, who had noticed how her son had used spanish on the young prince, turned to him while putting down her glass. "Right, Lance did tell me you speak spanish," she said, genuinely interested. That could sure give him extra points. "Can I hear it?"

Keith smiled lovingly back at his boyfriend, taking in the praise and letting Lance's expression warm him from the inside. That was, until Rosa spoke. Keith looked up at her, his eyes widening. Right, the interrogation hadn't seized yet. Even though Rosa had given her approval, he still needed to impress her to the best of his abilities. 

He could do this, Spanish was his third best language, even though he sometimes mispronounced certain words. He cleared his throat and looked at Lance one more time. This wasn't the time to mess up, especially because Lance had rarely heard him speak Spanish before. 

"No hablo español perfecto, pero sí, lo hablo," he began, trying to remember all his lessons in grammar and pronunciation. "Aprendí a hablarlo para mejorar nuestras amistades con nuestros vecinos del sur, y porque hay una gran cantidad de literatura española interesante quise leerla para mi educación." 

He gave her a smile, finding Lance's hand under the table and squeezing it. Sometimes he just needed a little extra reassurance, even when he already knew Rosa didn't dislike him. 

"Like I said," he continued in English. "I am far from perfect. My accent would betray me if I ever had to speak among natives like you." He smiled humbly, taking another bite and realising he'd almost finished his plate already. "Could I have some more, Miss McClain?" he asked politely, eyeing the cod with hunger in his eyes.

It was simple to say Rosa was straight up stunned. For starters, she'd never met anyone that wasn't native that could speak spanish. Keith hadn't only used spanish but had pronounced every word perfectly as if he'd used it all of his life, and had said way more than she'd expected him to. 

"Sabes, si querías mi aprobación deberías haber empezado por ahí," she chuckled. "No need to be modest, young prince." Though, she liked his humble attitude, a lot. "It's incredible, you did very well. And of course, it's your cod too." She smiled kindly and got up to cut some more of that meal. 

Lance's wasn't far from her reaction, eyes wide and perplexed. That had been... Wow.  
"Jesus Keith, I knew you were fluent but I didn't know you were this fluent," he let out with admiration. He always pronounced words correctly but dang he'd never said such long sentence to him. His sweet voice being used with his language so skilfully.... His heart beamed with affection. 

He leaned slightly closer to him and rested his chin on his hand, looking up at him lovingly. "You just made me fall for you all over again, babe," he murmured with hearts in his dazzled eyes, totally smitten.

Keith's cheeks burned red at all the unfamiliar praise, especially Lance's sweet words. "What did I say about you saying stuff like that, Lance?" he whispered. "I need a warning if you're about to go all cute and loving." 

Still, he couldn't be stern with him for longer than a a few seconds, after which his face softened and a smile quirked his blushing face. "I love you too, baby," he breathed, before realising Rosa was still at the table. Keep it in your pants, Keith. 

He turned to Lance's mother, forcing his eyes not to flee away from hers. "Thanks you, Miss- Rosa. That's very high praise coming from a native speaker." He lowered his head in a short bow. The Prince didn't know what the big deal was. Lance and Rosa spoke both English and Spanish too, even better than he did. Sure, Keith might speak an extra few languages... 

He turned to Lance again, unable to stop the chuckle at how completely dazed his boyfriend seemed, at how cute he looked. He leaned in close to whisper something in his ear, breaking another of his father's rules. No whispering in public, and definitely not at the dinnertable. His father wasn't here, though, and so he said: 

"If you like it so much, I'll speak Spanish more often, just for you. You only need to ask, my love. I'm all yours." Lance couldn't think he was done competing, now that the kissing ban had been lifted. Nope, Keith was more competitive than ever, a small part even hoping to win now that he got his boyfriend so adorably flustered with just a few words in his mother tongue.

'I need a warning.' Lance couldn't help chuckling softly. 'I'm about to say how much I appreciate you, admire you and love you, be prepared'? Sure. He could do that next time, but that probably wouldn't make Keith's reaction change. Ah, his words truly warmed his heart. He loved him too. He loved him so much... 

He breathed, completely lovesick, before Keith began to lean towards him. Chills ran through his spine at the whispering, picking key words such as 'You only need to ask', 'I'm all yours'. Maybe it was the way he'd said it, but it made it sould like... Oh. The mental image of the prince beneath him, using spanish to... Oh god. 

He leaned back into his chair, feeling heat violently assault his face, without mercy. Tomatoes weren't as red as him. God. Bad timing, Lance. This was clear revenge to him for denying kissing earlier. He covered his face with one hand as subtle as he could, using the other to eat.

Rosa wasn't oblivious. She knew her son more than most, and she'd been young too. The situation was overall amusing and brought a funny smirk to her poker face, her staring at Keith to cause havoc.

Lances reaction had totally been worth stepping out of his comfort zone. The wide eyes, the heated face.. Keith suddenly realised why Lance enjoyed making him blush so much. The flustered expression before him was just too cute, and the Prince wanted to provoke that reaction always, forever. He bit his lip to stop the giggles from breaking through, turning his face back across the table. 

And then his expression fell. Oh. Right. Lance's mother was still here. He flushed red just as fast as Lance had done just seconds ago, when he saw the look on Rosa's face. Oh god, she knew. She may not have heard him, but Lance's red cheeks didn't leave any mysteries about the kind of thing Keith had whispered. What had he been thinking, saying such things in public? Amazing, now he'd ruined whatever good feelings she'd had about him. Now he was just a dirty scoundrel, trying to seduce her son, instead of a respected and proper prince. 

His eyes snapped to Lance, hoping his boyfriend could somehow talk them out of this situation with his silver tongue, but Lance's mind seemed to be far away, perhaps in a lonely tower room, with the prince beneath him. It was up to Keith to save himself. 

"I.. Uhm..," he started, not meeting Rosa's eyes. "I-I mean that.." He'd never been this inarticulate, his sensible mind snapped away to join Lance in that tower. It was too early to use the excuse of having to leave, and there was no other way to escape this room, to escape Rosa's sharp gaze.

"I am truly sorry to steal your son away so much of the time," he eventually said, out of lack of better subjects to talk about. "He must not be at home as often as before we started.. before we were together. And because he spends most nights with me too.." Maybe this had been a wrong change of subject. How could he fix this, without making it sound inappropriate? "Sleeping together," he blurted, and immediately regretted it. "I mean, not sleeping together, but sharing a bed. A room! My room." 

Alright, that had gone about as bad as it could have gone. He copied Lance's movement, setting a hand to his face and stuffing his mouth with the last bite of cod to prevent himself saying any more stupid things.

The hunter had been so focused in not thinking about it that he almost missed his boyfriend's entire disastrous chat with his mom- and Jesus that didn't help him to forget in the slightest, instead providing his wild imagination with more and more uncalled for details. If anything, he was blushing even more now. Well this was embarrassing. He didn't dare look at his ma even though he could guess what her reaction would be.

And he was right. When Keith was done trying to make things better she began to laugh uncontrollably, wiping tears off her eyes as it died down. 

"La virgen, boy. You're so bad at this," she laughed, amused. It was just like Lance had told her; he was pretty innocent. Just from that she could assume they hadn't gone that far yet. Not like she wanted to know anyway. She trusted her son to be safe and careful. 

"It's adorable, but please don't do it again. Whatever you two do at your room isn't my business." She chuckled as she gained an embarrassed 'Ma!' From Lance, who was still bright red and covering his face. Such disasters. And how she loved making them suffer. 

"No need to apologize," she continued Keith's escape subject like nothing. "Despite work and everything, Lance always finds time to share with his family." She smiled at her son. "Since he was little he's always tried to make everyone happy and satisfied." Explained how he always managed to get hurt, and how he always seemed tired. She could just picture him running around from the castle to the forest to his home, trying to be in all places at once. She sighed. 

"You should take a day off." Not only from work, but everything in general. "You might get sick from working too much."

"Oh. I already suggested a Sleep Day to Keith," he replied after finishing his plate, the red of his cheeks finally fading away. "A good balance between rest and work makes people more productive. I would be a great ruler." He crossed his arms with a smug grin.

"Mijo, there's no castle big enough to fit all your ideas," she joked, gaining yet another annoyed 'Ma!' from her son.

Keith's face only started returning to its usual colour when Rosa changed the subject, though a pink shimmer lay on his cheeks forever. That might just be the result from being close to Lance. 

"I agree," he said, when he finally found his voice between oceans of shame and embarrassment. "Lance would make a fine ruler." He smiled lovingly at his boyfriend. "He is kind and fair, and he has something no other royal possesses. Perspective." 

He squeezed Lance's hand, letting himself imagine, just for a moment, that it was this boy he would marry in a few days, instead of Lotor. Lance, in a beautiful robe of gold and blue, walking down the isle as white flowerpetals settled upon his hair, one by one, around a crown, woven with golden flowers. "I would marry him in a second, if I could," Keith breathed.

That thought kept plaguing him the rest of the afternoon, where Lance taught him to play Alquerque, a two player game where you needed to capture each others soldiers. Keith turned out to have quite a knack for it, and he soon enjoyed himself. As long as he stayed focused on the game, he could ignore his weird thoughts, but everytime he looked up at his boyfriend, especially when he caught Lance laughing, he couldn't help but imagine him in royal wedding robes. 

It was impossible. Even if they ran away together and got married, they would never have a royal marriage. And still, the imagine seemed so realistic, Keith could imagine every detail of how Lance would look.. Sometimes Keith met Rosa's eyes, and was almost sure she knew what he was thinking about. At these times, she gave him a fond smile and continued her knitting.

When the clock chimed seven times, Keith looked up in surprise. He hadn't realised it had gotten so late. Time flew when you were having fun. He moved his soldier one last time, claiming victory over his boyfriend, and stood up. 

"Lance, its time to go. I need to be at dinner in an hour." He turned to Rosa, who'd also stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality, Rosa. It has been great to meet you."

While Lance pouted at his defeat and saved the game pieces, Rosa approached the young prince, smiling back at him kindly. "Same to you, Keith. Thank you for visiting. I hope this won't be the last time you come here." No matter what happened, she knew the rest of their family would accept him eventually, then the boy would have a big, loving family. Perhaps someday. She looked at him, the true vivid image of the queen and sighed with content. "...Take care of each other, sí?"

"Claro, ma." The brunette gave her a kiss on the cheek and grabbed his cloak to offer it to Keith before opening the door. "I'll have dinner with Hunk. Could you tell the others I went to sleep early, please?" The woman nodded in reply, to which Lance smiled gratefully. "Thanks, mamá. I'll be back in the morning." 

He headed to prepare Silver, who had beem having a nice chat mare to mare with Kaltenecker, while Rosa extended a folded paper to Keith. 

"Every family member should have the recipe." She smiled.

Keith's smile softened at her words, taking the sheet and sliding it into his pocket, carefully as if it was made of glass. "Thank you, miss. This means.. It means a lot to me," he said sincerely. He was considering family? Already? He'd only just met Rosa this afternoon. Well, he guessed he was dating her son, so it made a little sense. But still, she called him family! 

"I'll take care of him," he promised. "I'll keep him safe." He gave her a reassuring smile, knowing he'd do anything to keep Lance out of danger, to keep him from getting hurt. Keith turned around and watched Lance climb atop the horse, following shortly after to settle behind him once more. 

Wrapping his arms around Lance, he leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Now, take me home, Loverboy." Today had been a good day. So many wonderful things had happened, things he'd never expected but welcomed into his life with a smile. Rosa was such a kind woman, and she accepted him, even approved him for her son. He smiled at her over Lance's shoulder, pulling his hood up to cover himself once again.

Rosa smiled back at the young prince, waving as they left her camp of vision, her heart content. She knew they would struggle. That things could get ugly for both, and still... She was certain her son would finally have a happy life next to the prince. Call it a mother's sixth sense. Satisfied, she closed the door and went back to her knitting.

And Lance? He wasn't far from sharing their happiness. His ma had made them official, probably the most official they could ever be. He hadn't said a word about it, but what Keith had said about him making a fine ruler had stuck to his thoughts. If he could marry Keith... 

He wasn't sure he'd make a good prince, let alone a good king. He had zero preparations, knowledge about politics, history, etiquette or any other royal studies. He didn't have royal blood. He was a normal, regular, everyday peasant, he had nothing that made him special. People wouldn't accept him as a ruler, hypothetically speaking. Sure, it was nice joking about it, but the thought turning into a What If question... scared him. 

If they ever managed to get rid of everything opressing Keith, the King, the marriage... Lance couldn't be certain he'd want Keith to choose him. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he'd realize there was nothing special about him. Ah, great. He was overthinking everything again. 

He stopped at a safe place in the woods and gave Keith the satchel with his clothes so he could change back. "I see you and my mom had a nice chat." He raised a curious eyebrow, trying to push his thoughts aside. 

"Can I ask what you talked about...? It's okay if you don't want to tell me." He had literally no idea what could've been that caused Keith to cry in front of her. Perhaps something related to the king? His mom was aware of a few things he'd done to him, and she, better than himself, knew how to see through people and crack them open.

Keith froze, bare chested and with his own, princey shirt in his hands. "She.. We talked about you. I asked what you'd told her, and she said.. A lot of things." He bit his lip, slowly pulling the shirt on and turned to look at Lance. "She said you told her about the king, about what he.. How he.." 

Keith dropped his gaze. Rosa may have helped him, but it was still difficult for him to talk about. 

"She said he.. That it was wrong." He pulled his vest over his shoulders and started buttoning it up. "Your mother talked about Queen Krolia, about how they'd met. My mother was such a kind woman, and she told Rosa she wanted her child to have a good life, a perfect life. My mom wanted me to be happy." He smiled absentmindedly, moving to stuff Lance's clothes back in the bag. 

"And then.. I thought I was okay with this life, with this constant pain and fear, but.." He looked up at his boyfriend, getting close, a hesitant smile around his lips. "But I don't think I am. I don't think I'm okay." His eyes flooded with tears, but he wasn't upset nor insecure. On the contrary, he felt surer than ever before. 

"My father is cruel with me, and I'm done making excuses for him." He brushed a thumb over Lance's cheek, a fond look in his eyes. "She made me realise all this, your mother helped me through it. I'm sorry I didn't see it before." 

He leaned closer, close enough to see the individual freckles on Lance's face, to feel their breath clash in the air between them. "Now, you said that if I got her approval, you would kiss me again. I think I can safely say I've succeeded, can't I? So what are you waiting for?" He wasn't going to literally ask for it, this would have to be enough for Lance. Now, kiss me, Loverboy, his eyes whispered.

The olive skinned boy was still processing what he'd heard. His mom had met the Queen? Like face to face? Not just seen her from the distance? They'd talked? Why had she never told him? ...Well, he guessed it made sense not to tell an anti-royalty family about your encounter with a royal. His family wouldn't understand right away. Still, he'd ask her to tell him the full story when he came back. 

Hearing Keith finally admit what the king did wasn't okay... was relieving, yet painful to witness. Now he was aware. But that was good. He turned as much as he could to him while sitting on the mare, carefully taking a hand to his soft cheek and gave him a comforting look. He had finally awoken.

And of course Keith was starving. Lance had almost forgotten about it with everything that had happened, but those indigo eyes wouldn't stop calling him. "Such a greedy little prince," he chuckled, closing the remaining distance between them and meeting his lips, slow and gently. He lowered his hand to his neck, turning to kiss him again. Good thing he'd succeeded. Lance wasn't sure he'd been able to stay true to his own words if he had to wait any longer to taste those pink soft lips.

Keith grinned into the kiss, his expression melting as his body did, under the power of Lance's lips. God, he'd missed this. It hadn't even been a day, but he'd never grow tired of this, kissing his boyfriend. Kissing Lance. 

He wrapped one arm around the boy's waist and caressed his cheek with the other, keeping him close for minutes long, forgetting all sense of time and place, only feeling Lance. It somehow both lasted years and years while also being over in under a second. When Keith finally pulled away, he panted against the back of Lance's neck for a full minute before regaining the power of solid thought. 

"I want you," he breathed, nearly inaudibly. His hands slowly traced over Lance's stomach underneath his shirt, feeling all the toned muscles and sharp scars. Beautiful. If he felt carefully, he could almost see it. He could see Lance naked. 

"Would you come up to my room tonight?" he asked, his tone husky and warm. Was he really asking Lance to.. Perhaps. He wanted it, he wanted Lance's hands on him, those lips on him, and... Whatever else came with it. Keith wanted it. He was scared, of course. But he wanted it, badly. 

He let go of his boyfriend and slid off the horse, not looking at him again. If he looked at Lance now, he wouldn't stay this confident. He disappeared into the woods, and emerged a few minutes later, atop the elegant, black mare. Smiling down at his hands, he passed Lance and half looked over his shoulder. "Are you coming?" he asked.

Well fuck, that was hot. He wouldn't lie, by denying kissing him he'd tried to incite Keith into asking for more, but he wouldn't have guessed it would go this far. He could still feel Keith's gentle touch on his skin and his sweet voice next to his ear if he concentrated enough, and honestly? His words had ignited him. Thank god he had almost full control of his body, because even though he was boiling completely, he didn't show it. A light rose red, however, had bloomed on his cheeks, him lost in thought until Keith returned with Kosmo.

He wanted to go all the way for the first time with him, and he'd invited him to. Lance hadn't realized until now, that it was finally happening, how strong his desire for him was, and how long he'd been suppressing it. 

So he lowered his head slightly and looked up at him, both charming and playfully, to answer both of his questions; "Your desire is my desire, my prince. I'll do anything you ask me to." He approached him, this time straightening to glance down at him with a grin, longing in his eyes. 

"And I'll do anything to please you," he murmured, riding towards the castle afterwards. Keith was getting quite bold with time. Heck, he'd even made him blush more than once today! He couldn't let him outpass him. Keith hadn't seen the best of him yet.

There had been a moment, before Lance spoke, when Keith feared his boyfriend hadn't understood his suggestive question. But nope. Lance understood, perhaps more clearly than Keith himself. No matter how hard Keith tried, how bold he attempted to be, Lance could beat him with just a few simple words. Or maybe Keith just had lower resistance, since the hunter's three short sentences made his face flare up once more, lips parting in silent argument. 

Lance had agreed to meet him tonight. Lance had agreed to meet him tonight. Lance wanted to.. To do this thing with him. Oh god, what had he gotten himself into? He didn't know anything about.. Anything. 

They had, of course, already done a few things, under that tree in the woods, but that time had gone so fast that Keith only really remembered how much he'd enjoyed it. He wanted to do that again, to do it all, but just hoped Lance would slow down a little so he could remember everything, every touch, every kiss, every feeling. 

But first, Keith needed to know what to do. The Prince knew it was more than just sticking it in and shaking a little, but that was about all. What he needed, was advice. He followed Lance quickly, riding beside him out of the forest, along the broad path that lead back to the castle. He stared down at Kosmo's neck, untangling a knot in her mane and he tried to find the right words. 

"Anything to please me, huh?" he asked, not meeting Lance's eyes. He couldn't do this. He couldn't ask this boy for sex advice. Lance might laugh at him, or judge him, or call him a child. Keith wasn't a child, and he didn't need Lance's help. 

"Well, I want you do do what you desire." He finally turned his head to his boyfriend, cheeks pink and lips glossy. "And I want you to want me."

He focused on the road again, unsure of what else to say. Maybe he shouldn't say anything, not until he'd informed himself better on.. this subject. There may be a book about it in the library...

When they got close to the gates, Keith gave his boyfriend a last smile. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" And with that, he changed his attitude back to 'Prince' and rode past the guards, onto the courtyard. 

The clock in the main hall told him he only had a few minutes left, no time to change, so he hurried to the dining hall, ready to deal with his own life again. The guards let him through, he bowed to his father and Queen Honerva, and sat down just as the tower bell signalled eight o'clock.

In the meantime, the brunet left Silver in the stables, took a cold shower in the shared showers provided for the guards and headed to the kitchen, finding Hunk cleaning his workplace. He didn't take much credit for tonight's dinner so he didn't have to assist to the dining room and witness the royals eat. 

Lance took this chance to update his friend in the later events while they had dinner, how his mother had accepted Keith as his beloved, all the fun they had had that day... It was truly a remarkable day Lance wouldn't forget. Perhaps they could even repeat it some other time. They then talked about Hunk's family, the castle rumors, funny anecdotes, about this apparently beautiful baker in the village called Shay and how great friends her and Hunk were... But Lance could tell the way his friend talked about her ment there were feelings in between. 

Even then he couldn't let go of the memory of Keith inviting him tonight. At first he'd sounded so sure and confident, but after that... He wasn't so sure. And he'd replied 'I want you to want me'. No way Keith was doing all of that just for him, right? No. Lance wanted him to want it just as he'd stated. Maybe he wasn't sure or he wasn't ready. That was okay, they could talk about it. Sure, Lance wanted it, but there was no need to rush anything. He could wait.

All throughout dinner, Keith's couldn't focus on the general conversation. It wasn't like the royals had anything interesting to mention. They mostly talked about the upcoming wedding, the merging of two kingdoms and how it would affect two similar but different cultures. While Keith would usually have found the subject half fascinating, right now all the could focus on were Lance's words, Lance's promises. 

The thought of what might happen tonight pulled him out of that room, into his boyfriend's arms, so tightly that his father had to pull him back multiple times, calling his name to return him to reality. Keith sighed, trying to stay in the present, not let his mind flow to Lance's hands, holding him tight and close and- Nope. Not yet. 

Dinner took forever, and by the time it finally ended Keith was close to exploding. He needed Lance, right now. Well, maybe not now, the Prince thought, as he dashed through the halls in search of his best friend. He finally found Shiro coming out of the guards station, and pulled him along by the hand, not answering his questions until he dragged him into an empty room, which so happened to be the throne room. 

"Shiro," he started, looking around and between the pillars to make sure they were truly alone. This could not be overheard by anyone. When the room seemed abandoned, he turned back to the tall man. 

"I need your advice."

Shiro was confusion. The prince looked oddly tense. The man had barely seen him today, and judging by the way he'd pulled him quickly into an empty room as soon as he saw him made him slightly worry. 

"Sure, what is it?" He asked calmly, analizing the situation more. Keith had been away all day, and he didn't look particulary sad, angry or hurt, so if it wasn't about the king... He checked the empty room again in reflex before speaking. "Is it about Lance?" He raised an eyebrow, a tiny mocking smirk on his face.

Just Lance's name made Keith lose his calm, and he averted his gaze to avoid any more mockery from his brother. Now was not the time to get flustered, now was the time to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do tonight. 

"No," he reacted, too quickly, his voice cracking. He could totally hide that part from Shiro; his brother didn't need to know what they were planning to do. "It's not about.. No. It's just.. I noticed I never got any classes about, uhm, physical health." Right. Close enough. 

"And if I am to marry Lotor, I do need to know certain.. things." He flushed even brighter, feeling awfully small and idiotic all of a sudden. "Marriage comes with all kinds of duties and obligations, and I don't know how to.. How to.. fulfill them. I can't ask anyone about these things either, because it's.. inappropriate. I don't think my father would appreciate these kind of questions," he chuckled, trying to shake some of the tension. This was Shiro, he wouldn't laugh at him, right? Okay, maybe he would laugh at him, but then he'd help. Probably. 

"You must know certain things, you've had relationships. So, I just thought... Could you explain how to.. Uhm.." He buried his face in his hands, making his mumbling almost inaudible. 

"I need to know how to be intimate with someone. With another man." He could almost feel Shiro holding in his laughter, not sure if this embarrassment was worth it in the long run. Perhaps embarrassing himself in front of Lance would be easier.

The commander just stared at him with an unimpressed poker face on. Yep, it was about Lance. Defintely. Why did Keith feel the need to lie to him? He'd rather have him asking him about Lance than mentioning the remote idea of doing it with Prince Lotor. It was terribly cursed. Yet his brother seemed so embarrassed that he decided it would be best to play along. 

"Riight... Uhm..." He took a hand to his nape, looking up slightly uncomfortable. Yikes. He'd never given anyone the talk. But this was his best friend, his brother, who had no parent to trust with these kinds of things. No need to make things weird, time to be a dad. A brother dad. 

"First if, hypothetically speaking, it was Lotor who we're talking about, you are not obliged to do anything you don't want to. Your marriage will be strictly political, and I'm sure Lotor knows that too." He pointed out. "But in the case you did want to- and not exclusively with Lotor- hypothetically speaking," because he wasn't assuming anything, haha. 

"Well... The most important thing is to communicate with your partner," he started calmly. "Ask what he wants, tell him what you want, what you don't like. Say it if you want to try something new and see if he's okay with it, don't ever feel forced to do something you're not okay with. Guide each other, you're not mind readers. There's nothing wrong about asking; Communication is key." 

He wasn't sure what kind of advice Keith wanted to hear, but Shiro would go by experience, important things he wished someone had told him about.

"Mm... Don't rush. Specially at first, take your time preparing, take things slow. No need to hurry things up 'cause that will hurt. For both of you." He crossed his arms and pursed his lips, thinking of more things he should be aware of. Surprisingly, he didn't feel uncomfortable at all while talking about it as he'd thought. Maybe it had stuck to his brain, but adressing these kinds of things was important and not at all a bad thing. 

"For the one- you know, recieving- Because you can switch, it's not like you're assigned a certain role," he pointed out. "-It might hurt just a bit at first. It's only for a moment and it shouldn't be unbearably painful. If so, you haven't prepared enough beforehand. That's why taking things slow is so important. Use lots of lube. You're no less of a man for preparing." He hummed thoughtfully. 

"You've got hands, use them. Be caring. Show the other you want him to feel good too. Don't fall off the bed. That will hurt." He laughed. "Don't try any crazy positions at first. It'll tire you up pretty quick. Shower before and after in less than ten hours. If you don't feel prepared yet, don't do it, but there's no need to be scared. Especially if you trust your partner." He knew Lance was a good boy. Keith was in good hands. 

"And I think that's about it. Just try things out until it works. It gets better once you gain experience." He looked at Keith with a small smile. When had he grown up so fast? He ruffled his hair with his metal hand both playful and mockingly while chuckling. "Look at you, all grown up and asking about-"

"Shut up," Keith interrupted, raising a hand when Shiro shifted back to his teasing-older-brother attitude. He pulled his hand through his hair, trying to organise it, along all this new information. And it was a lot. Between the averted eyes and flushed cheeks, Keith had actually payed close attention, making a mental list of things to think about during.. sex. 

Make sure you trust your partner. Check. He trusted Lance with his life, and he knew the boy would never hurt him. 

Open communication. He might need to work on that. Keith wasn't great at the whole 'talking about feelings' thing. But he could do it, for Lance. He could try. 

Take it slow, prepare properly. Keith had plenty of time, but what was 'preparing' supposed to mean? The Prince had thought asking Shiro about these things was plenty preparation, but maybe he should still swing by the library to find more information, to prepare himself better? He frowned to himself, feeling like he was misunderstanding or missing something. Well, he'd figure it out soon enough. Keith had always been more of a learning-while-doing person. 

Anything else? Be careful. Use your hands. Use enough lube. Shower before and after. He could do that too. The Prince would try to figure out what lube was later.

He looked up at his brother again, face nearly back to its usual colour. "Thank you, Shiro. This will really help me. After I'm married, of course," he quickly added. At least Shiro had bought the whole Lotor lie, Keith didn't want to get Lance into trouble. Shiro was still his commander, after all. 

"Now, I have to go. To, uhm.. Sleep. Goodnight, bro." He turned on his heels and hurried away, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep it together if he stayed there. The Prince considered heading to the library for more information, but didn't want to be late if Lance came up to his room. Besides, he still needed to shower, apparently. 

A few minutes later, he dried off and stepped into his closet. What should he wear for this occasion? He settled on normal clothing; pants, a loose shirt, and no shoes. The Prince tapped nervously against his desk as he drew, sketching a basic landscape across two pages of his sketchbook with those special pencils he'd been saving in the back of a drawer. At what time had Lance said he'd be there again?


	40. Virginity Was A Myth Anyway

(A/N. Hello, our loyal readers. We are rewarding you with a second chapter full of smut. Be warned, it gets even dirtier than last time. As usual, please skip this if I personally know you; I won't be able to look you in the eyes again if you read this. (Again, Raven's friends get a free smut pass) Toodles, and enjoy, ya dirty perverts.)

After saying goodbye to Hunk, the brunet took a walk with his bird companion through the woods, close to the castle, until the sky turned dark and the guards began their night shift. As he changed his clothes to merge with the shadows he stared at Blue, who seemed to be staring back at him, almost knowingly. Was she aware of- Hmph. 

"Y'know, Miss, it's very rude to eavesdrop people's conversations," he reproached with a frown, the blue feathered bird chirping in response as if it wasn't her fault they said those things out loud. Lance stuck his tongue out to her as his last argument and headed to the tower, waiting for the guards to move to start climbing.

Once he reached the balcony and took a moment to breathe and relax, he knocked on the halfway open door to announce his presence, slowly walking in afterwards. His eyes followed the faint light of the candle in the desk, Lance lowering his guard once he found Keith there. 

"Hey babe," he greeted him, pulling down his mask and hood while eyeing him with curiosity. Was he writing? He walked to the desk, approaching him to look over his back. Oh! He was drawing! He'd never actually seen the prince drawing before. One of the things he enjoyed the most was looking at Rachel's painting progress. However, she always said she couldn't concentrate if people were staring, so of course he peeked when she wasn't looking. What? He founded it fascinating. Since he didn't draw, he could at least look, right? 

"Can I see?" He placed his hands on the desk to each side of the prince, leaning next to his ear to get a better look. It was a landscape- a very pretty one at that, and he didn't have any reference near. "Woah... That's amazing, Keith," he praised him with honesty, glancing at the tools and recognizing them from the day in the market. "Aw you're using the pencils I gave you!" he said warm heartedly, glancing back at him with a smile.

Keith's hands faltered as Lance came close, but he wasn't sure whether his blush came from the praise or from Lance's hot breath on his skin. "Thank you, sweetheart. And of course I am, they're the best I have. You'd be surprised how difficult it is around here to find decent pencils." 

He finished the details on a tree and lay down the pencil, turning his head halfway to smile at Lance. "I missed you already," he whispered, closing his book and placing his things back where they belonged. When his boyfriend backed away to give him space, the Prince got up and looked at him properly. Still Lance, still beautiful, still hot. 

"Hey," he breathed. "You look nice." His lover really did look amazing, even more beautiful than usual with that sweet smile on his face. Now, the next step. What was the next step again? He'd never felt his tense around Lance before, like something hung over his head, threatening to fall down, and Keith couldn't tell whether it would be a good thing or not. 

He sauntered over to his boyfriend and swung his arms over his shoulders with a crooked smile. "Very nice." Okay, step one. Open communication. The hard part. "So," he mused, tilting his head. "Are you still up for.. Things?" he asked, quirking his shoulders as if it didn't really matter to him either way. It did matter, it mattered so much. 

Due to all these fears and worries, he'd almost forgotten how much he wanted it, how much he wanted Lance to hold him, to kiss him, to.. to fuck him. He wanted it all, despite the fear, despite the insecurity. He wanted it so badly, he couldn't even stop himself from leaning forward, pulling Lance down and pressing their lips together with force.

Okay. This was- something- definitely something. Lance had the feeling something was off due to the prince's actions . It's not like it was weird for him to be affectionate and compliment him, but it just wasn't... him. He couldn't really explain it other than he knew his boyfriend and he could sense he was pretty nervous yet trying to play it cool. Too cool. 

The strong kiss caught him by surprise, and Lance held on a brief second before backing away, perplexed, his hands still on his waist. "Hey, hahah- uhm-" he muttered nervously. Yikes. He didn't mean to back away, but it was so sudden his heart had started beating so fast... It... It had brought him bad memories. 

He swallowed them down with a gulp and breathed to compose himself. "Of course. I'm up for anything, but only if you're ready." He spoke with a small, hesitant smile, holding him close. "It's okay to be nervous, Keith. You don't need to pretend with me... You do know that, right?" It slightly hurt, that Keith felt the need to act like he was ok, cool and ready for everything. Of course he wasn't, and that was normal. Didn't he trust him? 

"Let's take things slowly, okay? No need to hurry, we have all night. I thought you'd have like- questions, first? I don't know... Anything you want us to talk about first? Doubts?" He stroked his back with his thumb, trying to calm him a little. Then what he'd said earlier today came to his mind. "..You do want this, right? Because if it's for me only, you know I don't mind waiting."

Keith looked at his boyfriend in confusion when Lance pulled away. He'd never pulled away during a kiss before. Was something wrong? Was he messing it up again? "I am a little nervous," he said carefully, still trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. Maybe he'd gone too fast? But they'd kissed dozens of times before, that shouldn't be a big step. 

"I still don't really know what to expect. And.. I trust you, but all of this is new terrain for me. I just thought.. I really want to.." He sighed, taking Lance's hand and sitting down on his bed. "I want to do this with you, I'm sure. And yes, I did have questions, but... Shiro answered most of them. He told me to take it slow too. I guess I can be a little eager in certain things." 

He looked down, unsure if he should repeat every part of that conversation back to Lance. It had been so uncomfortable, maybe even more so than just seconds ago, when Lance had backed away from him. How could Lance think he didn't want this? He'd told him so this afternoon, right? Maybe.. His eyes widened. 

"When I said I wanted you to want me, I didn't mean anything like thát," he hurried to explain. "I just meant-" He bit his lips, his cheeks flushing pink once more. "I meant that the way you look at me when you.. When you want me, that look is just so hot. I like seeing you hungry." He looked back up at the hunter and chuckled. 

"I'm sorry if I wasn't clear enough. But I'm not doing this for you, baby. I want this for me. And for us, together. Okay?" He trailed a hand over Lance's cheek, noticing a certain tension in his features. "But.. Are you sure you want this?" Lance had seemed happy everytime Keith did something bold, incited something sensual, all up until when he'd kissed him just then. Did Lance not want to anymore? Had he changed his mind?

Lance had disconnected slightly when Keith described how he liked seeing him hungry, blushing slightly and chuckling along. Had he looked at him like that several times? He didn't notice, being so high with desire. Keith did really always got him high. 

Still he listened to everything he said, shaking his head when he apologized. "Nono, it was me who got it wrong. Thanks for clearing it up." He smiled, right before it fell again at the question. If he wanted this? Of course he did. Why was- ...Oh, right. 

He placed his hand over the prince's, leaning in his warm touch for a moment and looking down. He still didn't entirely understood what had happened before, why his mind had taken this moment and found similarities in his past experiences. Maybe... 

"I don't know what got to me. I didn't mean to pull away, it just happened. It was- almost as a reflex." He shrugged. "It's the first time I'm doing this with someone I truly love. That doesn't..." 'Want me just for sex,' he added to himself. Maybe his subconscious was still adapting to this change. 

He looked at his boyfriend once again, staring into his violet eyes, letting himself drown in them. This. This was real. And Lance was sure. "I do want this, Keith." He smiled sweetly, taking his hand in his and the other to his cheek. "I want you..." He slowly pulled him closer until their breathing clashed together, his eyes on his lips as he murmured: "You have no idea... How long I've wanted you."

He met his lips, kissing him sweetly as he let go of his hand and placed it on his waist, caressing it.

Keith's eyes widened, feeling like he should pull away. Lance had seemed legitimately shocked before, and he never wanted to see that again. But then the boy touched him, and he melted. Lance wanted him. Lance wanted him. 

He kissed back gently, still careful for any sign of doubt, but intensified the kiss when hesitation seemed completely absent. Their lips only broke apart when Keith pushed himself back, kneeling on the sheets to face Lance, to make their kiss more comfortable. 

"Good," he muttered. "This is my first time doing this with someone I love too," he grinned, tilting his head. "And I would say the same, but you've always been able to read my mind, haven't you? Since day one, you knew." He breathed against Lance's lips, playing with the short hairs at his nape. 

"You knew how much I wanted you, you saw me looking again and again." He sank down until he sat on his own feet, smiling gently. His fingers traced all over Lance's face, from his neck to his many freckles, brushing a thumb over Lance's eyebrow. "I just couldn't help myself, not when you're always looking that irresistible." His lips met Lance's briefly, but then he pulled away again. 

"I do have one more question." When he saw he had Lance's attention, he continued. "When I just talked to Shiro, he gave me a lot of advice. He told me we needed lots of preparation. But I thought getting informed about this... subject was preparing myself. Is there anything else you can do to be ready for, you know, things?" He looked at Lance, a genuinely curious expression on his features. "I did take a shower," he added.

"Keith, you already shower daily," Lance chuckled. "You don't need to shower right before or right after." For a moment he took his palm to his neck, smiling absentmentally at all of Keith's gentle touches. He wasn't the only one who'd melted. God he was so sweet... 

Indeed, he guessed he'd always known. Well, not exactly that Keith wanted him to bang him right after meeting each other, but if he hadn't been a prince, the brunette was sure he'd gone after him sooner. No fear to be hanged. 

Right, he'd talked with Shiro. He decided not to think about his commander knowing about them too much or else he'd die of embarrassment. 'Things.' Gosh, he was adorable. So pure and innocent- well, not so innocent with that dirty mind of his. But still, the longer he stared at his expression the more Lance hesitated, fearing he might be too much for him. No, Keith was strong, he could take it. 

"Well, I'm sure what he meant was... preparation." He almost chuckled in embarrassment. Doing it was different than describing the whole thing with words. But he didn't, because he knew Keith would think he was laughing at him when he wasn't. How did Shiro talk about this again? 

"Like, foreplay, to heat things up. Like kissing, touching, biting... Like how I did that night in the forest." Right, Keith had later given him his permission to mark him beyond places that couldn't be seen. He would definitely use that. 

"And stretching. For the one recieving. There's no way it would fit otherwise," he chuckled. Huh, that wasn't so hard. Nothing wrong about it. He tilted his head, eyeing him from head to toe. "Tell me if I got the signals wrong, but..." He lowered his voice, looking at him knowingly, a sensual smirk on his lips. "It is me you want inside you, right?"

Keith's heart skipped at least three beats before it decided to still keep him alive. That was.. Wow. Without realising it, he'd already nodded, a red spot creeping up his neck and getting settled nicely on his face. He did want Lance.. inside him, no matter how crude and explicit it sounded. Everything he'd experienced with Lance until now, all the kisses and touches, they ensured Keith that this would feel nice too, if he just tried it. 

His red cheeks quirked with a fond smile as he gazed into Lance's eyes. Then, something hit him. "Stretching?" he croaked, his throat suddenly dry like the desert. Foreplay he understood, it was nice to touch a little to get warmed up, to get turned on properly. But stretching? What was that supposed to mean? What would Lance stretch? He couldn't mean... Well, there was only one place that needed to be.. Bigger, for everything to fit. 

He cleared his throat, shaking the shock away. "I mean, I didn't know you had to..." He hadn't even known it could get bigger. Of course, he'd noticed himself getting looser if he touched down there long enough, but never.. Big enough, for something like... Right. How had he not realised that? 

Okay, if Lance said it would be fine, that it would feel nice, Keith wanted to do it. He grinned back at the boy, placing a small kiss on his cheek. "Okay then, I can do that. Or, I guess, you can do that to me." He pulled Lance further on the bed, and then made him lay down to climb on top of him, straddling his waist. 

"This whole 'foreplay' thing sounds nice. And it's funny you mention that night in the forest. I actually wanted to ask.." He bent down, pressing his lips to Lance's shortly. "I liked that night so very much, but I did feel it went a bit... fast. I want to remember everything this time, every feeling. Will you go slow with me?"

Before, the tanned boy had started to doubt about all of this since Keith didn't sound convinced. He himself had no problem with bottoming if the prince decided to switch. He was about to suggest it, but Keith seemed to get back his entire confidence in a flash. Right. Keith really wanted it this way. Alright.

Then he was slowly pushed to the bed, the boy climbing on his waist afterwards, kissing him, talking about that night in the forest, asking him to go slow on him. Lance was so dead. The warm candlelight in one side of him, the cool moonlight in the other. Such majestic marble statue looking down at him dearly. 

"Fucking god on earth," escaped his lips almost in a whisper, mesmerized by his beauty. He moved to unbutton his cloak and take it off along his mask and gloves, turning to his boyfriend again. "Of course, my prince. I'll be gentle," he cooed, slowly tracing his waist under his shirt, up his chest, through every line. 

"I'm at your complete mercy. You just need to ask," he murmured, biting his lip. He missed his lips, but he couldn't reach them, so he'd just let Keith take over for this moment. 

"Bésame," he whispered.

Keith bit his lip, taking in all the glorious beauty beneath him. How had he gotten this lucky? He had the most perfect boy in his room, under him, ready to please him, to be pleased. He hummed at Lance's request, ignoring him and instead pulling Lance's shirt up over his head, throwing it off the bed. 

"No te preocupes, mi amor," he whispered, shifting a little to sir on Lance's lap instead, and lowering his face until his lips almost reached Lance's. "Yo te cuidaré." 

He gave Lance a grin and pressed a kiss to his cheek, then neck, then chest. He travelled down further, letting his hands slide along to soothe the skin he couldn't reach with his mouth. How could skin taste this sweet, feel this warm beneath his lips? 

He didn't leave any marks, only brushed little kisses over the tan body, humming to himself. He'd been wanting to do this for a while now, just discover all the places on Lance he hadn't kissed yet, places that were worth kissing. There were a lot. He'd slid down so far that he sat on Lance's knees, lips playing around his lower stomach. 

"That's funny," he mused. "You say you're at my complete mercy, but I've always felt like it was quite the opposite. You've had me weak in the knees since the first time we met, Lance." His hands stilled on the waistband of Lance's jeans, and he looked down before meeting his boyfriend's eyes again. Something else he'd wanted to try for a while now... "May I, your majesty?" he asked with a nervous grin.

In summary: Lance was dead. So fucking dead. He never could've guessed Keith would be t h i s bold. Heck, he seemed even more ready than himself. When his sweet, melodic spanish words reached his ears he melted completely, having caught him off guard. Was Keith real? With each soft kiss his cheeks began to turn red, feeling chills when his hands reached his stomach. He was ticklish there, but tried not to show it. No way he'd reveal such powerful weakness to his lover, he'd use it against him and torture him to death.

But when the prince reached his pelvis he was already gone. Unexpected turn of events. He gulped down, looking at him with pursed lips. Why was he so embarrassed? This wasn't him. Keith just looked... too cute. And hot. At the same freaking time. What the hell. And he called him majesty. He was sure his heart would explode at any minute now, and it would be his fault, and he'd be charged with murder. "..." He averted his gaze, fully red. Such adorable boy shouldn't be allowed to do such naughty things. Smh. "I... Sure. Only if you want to," he murmured bashfully.

Keith could never have predicted Lance's reaction, and the flustered sight was enough to make Keith just as red. That was his work, making Lance look like that. The all powerful, hot sex god Lance got flustered from a few kisses. How adorable. 

"I do want to," he replied nearly immediately. To have Lance explode with feelings underneath him brought a feeling to Keith's chest he hadn't known he possessed. A feeling of pride and responsibility, like Lance was his in every way, and like Keith needed to take care of him. 

His hands fumbled with the button, but then pulled it loose and he took his time taking off Lance's pants in their entirety, leaving the boy in his underwear. This brought a renewed grin to Keith's face. God, he looked cute like this. Only when he pulled the boxers down did he hesitate, only then did his confident stride falter. Right, he still didn't know how to actually.. Do this. Well, nothing wrong with trying, right? Lance wouldn't judge if it wasn't perfect on the first try. As long as he didn't bite it off or anything, they would be fine. 

He looked at Lance's face once more, bent down and got close enough to place a tiny, shy little kiss on the head. Wait, he should probably get Lance to.. Uhm.. Get it up first. His pale fingers closed around the shaft as his other hand kneeded the soft flesh at Lance's hips. "Is this okay?" he asked, starting to move slowly, very slowly.

The prince was... handy, to say the least. Lance had almost forgotten about how he'd been touched in the forest by those exact same gentle hands, that had him tense the second they made contact with him. 

He soon relaxed, however, and began to melt in the feeling. It was truly something else. Keith was so careful... Always careful. How he loved him. He nodded in reply, his eyes still glued to the side of the room. Lance was usually the one in charge of these kinds of things- not the other way around. Even if this wasn't the first time he wasn't used to it. It was embarrassing, probably since he wasn't the one in control of the situation; he had no distractions nor his full attention in pleasing the other person, he had no control over the pacing or actions Keith would carry out.

He felt exposed, like a bunny in the open. Especially because Keith was so caring and attentive to him. That was... new.

He breathed and shifted a little at the sensation. It felt good, and he had no control over it. All he could do was deal with it. His curiosity was stronger than him and his eyes glanced to meet Keith's indigo ones again, and fuck that looked hot. Moreover? Keith's innocent, angelic face just didn't match with his dirty actions. Lance felt himself inevitably throbbing and starting to get stiff at the view. 

Keith's lips parted when he saw how Lance's body reacted to him. Lance liked this? That was good, very good. He looked at his boyfriend, underneath his long lashes and the locks over hair obscuring his vision, and met Lance's eyes. Oh. He really liked it. Lance may deal with pleasure vastly differently from Keith's approach - which was mostly shaking and making weird noises -, but even Keith, with his lack of social knowledge, could see that Lance was enjoying this. 

Keith gave him a hesitatant half-smirk and looked down again. Okay, step two. Actually... Doing it. Sucking a dick. How hard could it be? He swallowed deeply and tried to remember everything he could from the night Lance had done him the same favour, but his mind blanked completely. All he remembered was warmth and wetness and pleasure and so many other feelings that all got mixed together in his brain. 

He lowered his upper body and hesitantly put his lips to Lance's head. That didn't feel right. His gaze flashed up at Lance's, but it didn't find any help there either. Keith brushed his hair back, which immediately clouded his face again, and sunk his lips around Lance. Wow. That was.. Big. He could feel everything on his sensitive inner cheeks, and forced himself not to pull back immediately in fear. Instead, he closed his lips tightly and sucked back up, popping off with a small sound. 

He'd rarely felt this incompetent. The Prince had no idea whether what he did came even close to doing it correctly, there wasn't an instinct for proper dick-sucking. He looked up at his boyfriend, hanging low over him with a flush on his cheeks. His hand let go of Lance's hip and took the tan fingers in his own. 

"Lance?" he breathed nervously. "I want.. I want to do this, but I really don't know how to. I.. I need you help." He bit his lip, looking anywhere but Lance's face or, even worse, the stiff member beneath him. His teeth nearly broke the skin of his lips as he waited, uncomfortably, for Lance's instructions.

Dear lord, that had felt good. Lance still held his breathing when Keith began to talk. Oh, right, the prince was still new at this. One could forget that from time to time since he was quite good at it. Lance remembered the first time he attempted sucking dick... Let's say he wasn't as naturally skilled as Keith nor had any previous reference and it didn't go pretty well. 

The bright pink of his cheeks was adorable, but Lance could tell he was sort of losing it. "Of course, it's okay," he was quick to reply, reaching to caress his face with the back of his fingers. He felt the urge to tell him not to do it, that it wasn't necessary, but Keith had expressed he wanted to. He wanted to... To please him. Him. He still had trouble assimilating that. Okay. 

"So first, calm down. You were actually doing good," he admitted, smiling at him. "It's basically it, just... sucking. Maybe up and down, using your tongue, playing with the speed, the head..." More than feeling embarrassed while describing the process Lance wished he'd had someone giving him instructions. Maybe everything would've been different in general. 

"Humming adds vibration. You don't have to take it all in-" Honestly Lance doubted he could. "So you can use your hands where you can't reach. Oh, and please don't scrap it with your teeth, 'cause that will hurt." He laughed subtly, retiring his hand back to his stomach. "But overall just... Enjoy it. It's all you need to do it good. If you want to stop at any moment just do it, no problem."

He'd done it correctly? Keith glowed with pride at the praise, getting more comfortable on his knees. The Prince silently thanked everyone for giving actual advice, actual tips that helped him do this thing. When Lance finished, he nodded and licked his lips. Okay, he could do this. He wanted to do this. Keith attempted to brush his hair back one more time, failing once again, and closed his lips around Lance's dick once more. 

It still felt so new to let his mouth get stretched like that, to feel the warmth and fullness and still push on. It was far from uncomfortable, though. He sunk until he felt pressure on the back of his throat, and then pulled up again, keeping his lips tight and making sure not to bite his boyfriend, while pushing his tongue against the shaft as he rose. Lance had been right, he couldn't fit it all with ease, so his hand closed around the base and gave it a few precise thrusts before sinking down again and swallowing deeply. Wow. 

Even with tears in his eyes, the Prince tried to go deeper this time and could actually feel his throat clench where it stopped Lance's cock from going further. When the air contracted in his lungs, he forced himself to breathe through his nose, and went a few centimeters further before pulling up, letting every inch of Lance slide back through his tight mouth. 

Just seeing Lance's body react was enough to turn him on like crazy, and he went down again, praying for another one of those beautiful reactions, hoping for him to stiffen up or shake, loving every sign Lance gave him. Keith managed to get it deeper every time, pushing past his unwilling throat and hollowing his cheeks to feel everything as he moved. 

Keith had found something he was good at ánd liked, and he would take full advantage of it. His hips moved on their own, rolling along everytime he went down, as if pretending it wasn't his mouth that Lance filled.

After a minute or five, he pulled away, panting through a burning throat, lips wet and red with the constant stretch. He leaned on his hand on either side of Lance's hips, turning his head up to look at his boyfriend again. "Was that any good?" he asked with a cracking voice and a smirk, confident he'd done it right, that he hadn't bitten Lance once, that he'd made his boyfriend happy.

Lance was a mess. At first, his breathing accelerated and his body tensed, but he wasn't noisy. He'd never been - unless he faked it for the sake of the other person, of course. So when a deep groan escaped his throat he surprised himself. Keith was very, very good at it; the pressure he applied, the rhythm he kept, how he made use of his tongue... It was so tight and warm, and had the tanned boy's legs contracting and shaking, hands gripping the sheets in search of some kind of support. It was overwhelming, and then the prince sucked deeper and deeper, Lance throwing his head back with a loud, long moan. He didn't know he was capable of doing such sound- 

"Fuck-" he gasped, taking his hand to his mouth to try and drown any more noises, but he could barely concentrate in anything as his mind spinned with tremendous pleasure. Somewhere between his haze he glanced at Keith, who was rolling his own hips as he sucked. Fuck he was enjoying it too- Fuck he was turned on- Fuck fuck fuck-

Thank god Keith stopped because Lance found himself trying to hold back. Fucking hell. "Mh-Mhm," he hummed, still coming down of his ecstasy. It took him a moment to fully restrain himself from finishing right there and then, his pulse still accelerated. 

"Goddamn Keith... That was amazing," he breathed, opening his eyes to meet his. Aw shit he looked so hot, both literally and metaphorically. Everything felt so much hotter now. "You're really, really good at it," he said sincerely, sitting up and pulling the boy into a heated kiss. 

God, he needed him. He needed him now. But he could take it slow. He would try. He broke the kiss to pull his shirt over his head, taking his lips to his neck and his hands to his waist afterwards, pulling him closer and sitting him in his lap for better access. "Keith," he breathed with a low voice as he bit his skin, enough for him to get the message. He began to nibble his neck, biting and sucking as his hands moved down his bottom. He could feel him hard against his stomach, and he buckled up to get a reaction.

Keith got settled nicely, legs on either side of Lance, tilting his head back to give his boyfriend all the room he needed. His hands found the skin of Lance's back and he clawed at it weakly in reaction to those sweet lips and cheeky hands. 

A whimper escaped him when the teeth bit harder, nearly splitting his skin, and he pulled back, despite wanting to feel that many times more. The prick of pain had only increased his desire. "Lance," he whispered. "No marking there, remember. No matter how much I love it, people will see." 

Instead, he captured Lance's lips on his own, continuing the heated kiss from before. If there was some way, any way to have Lance's hands on his ass at all time, he wouldn't hesitate. The feeling... 

And then Lance pushed against him, let his erection press to Keith's ass, and the Prince nearly lost it. He moaned, biting his own lip while kissing and pulling back. His face hid in Lance's shoulder, he whined lowly. "Lance..." He muttered, voice obstructed with longing, hard on straining against the fabric of his pants, making itself known as it pushed against the hunter's abs. 

"Please.." he moaned, unsure of what he was asking for. He'd done his part while sucking Lance's dick, and he'd succeeded. A lot, apparently. Seeing Lance's reaction released butterflies in his stomach and he promised himself to do that again, soon and often, just to make Lance feel good. But now was Lance's time to shine, to guide him through whatever was coming. 

Keith had liked taking the reigns for a moment, to try something and succeed, to he proud of himself. But if he was honest, he had plenty of responsibility in his life, and one of the things he enjoyed most about being with Lance was that the hunter tended to take control, to let Keith relax and enjoy himself while he did the real work. 

His lips met Lance's once more when he couldn't think of anything to say, hoping to tell his boyfriend exactly what he wanted in one intimate make-out.

He forced his hands to flatten against Lance's back out of fear he would actually hurt the boy. He had a thing for harsh reactions when he was turned on and Lance did something incredibly hot, and he didn't want to hurt the other boy. Instead, he traced small circles with his thumb, massaging the muscles under his touch. "I love you," he panted between their lips, letting his forehead rest against Lance's while he caught his breath.

"I love you too," the brunet murmured back with a smile as he recovered, noticing how the prince shifted his hands on his back. "It's okay, you didn't hurt me." Actually he'd lost most of the sensibility of his back due to the burn, so he couldn't feel much. "In fact, I find it very hot," he clarified with a smirk, squeezing his cheeks. 

He'd never get over Keith's moans. He wished there was some way to actually keep them, but he was satisfied with hearing them over and over in his head. Or he could make Keith play them for him over and over. Yeah, that sounded right. 

And since he looked ready and asking for it Lance wouldn't delay it any further. He wrapped his arms around his back and turned around, laying the prince on the bed. The restrain of his pants looked quite painful, so he proceeded to unbutton them and slowly take them off, gently holding his right leg and caressing it with his hands. 

He traced the tender skin with light kisses, all the way to his thigh, only stopping to remove his boxers. Once there were no clothes in the way, he took a moment to burn all of that view in his memory; the beautiful pale porcelain body against the dark onyx rebel bangs, flushed red face and longing eyes, asking to be pleased. Lance would deliver. 

He reached for his satchel, taking out a bottle and pouring a generous amount of it's content in his hand before tossing it aside. Even if Keith was eager he knew he could still be nervous, so he took his time massaging his thighs and the skin around his groin to relax his muscles, slowly spreading his legs.

"This might be a little uncomfortable at first, but it shouldn't hurt. Tell me if it does, okay?" he said calmly, looking him in the eyes as he coated his entrance. Without further wait he began with one finger, pushing it in... quite easily? Lance was surprised to find zero resistance. With a hand on his thigh he tried to push a second, gaining the same result. Unexpected. He glanced at Keith with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk. "Well, I didn't know you touched yourself down here too, my prince. You're such a naughty boy," he said cheekily while inserting a third.

Keith was too caught up in the - actual, real life, long - fingers in his private bits to respond properly to Lance. He just let out a choked whimper, pushing his head sideways into the sheet, both to shut himself up and to hide his embarrassing expression from his boyfriend. 

Yeah, he'd touched himself before, so what? It had never.. It hadn't felt like this. Keith couldn't describe the difference, only that Lance's fingers felt so much stronger, they reached further, they found every place inside of him. The Prince always explored his insides, slowly and carefully, but Lance seemed to know the place like he lived there. 

The third finger scraped a nail past his sensitive rim, and he gasped as it met more resistance than the previous two. Keith wouldn't call it 'uncomfortable', but it definitely felt different than the sweet kisses or hurried touches. This was something real, something tangible. 

Once he'd calmed himself, Keith bit his lip and looked up at Lance, eyes half lidded at the slow movement. "I.. I have never used more than three," he whispered, not sure if it was even possible. There must be a limit to how much would fit in there, right? It must tear or break at some point. 

Without meaning to, his hips pushed back against Lance, and a stuttering moan slipped from his lips as Lance's fingers touched something incredibly sensitive. "I- Fuck, that feels good," he panted, pulling his legs up higher until they nearly pressed against his chest. 

"Do it again, please," he muttered, meeting the hunter's eyes. "Please, do it again," he repeated, letting go of the sheets and gripping his own legs instead, folding himself in half to give Lance a better angle. "I- I need it. Lance, please." His hard on pressed against his stomach, shuddering at each of Lance's jabs, toes curled and lips tearing between his teeth.

Lance, once again, felt heat settling on his face and his member jolting. Every time he thought he knew just how horny the prince was, he proved him wrong, that he was more than ready. His reaction when he accidentally found his sweet spot gave the brunet a greater confidence boost, filling him with pride at the fact he was the first person to ever do that for Keith. 

"What, this?" he chuckled, stroking that exact place again. At Keith's voice he repeated the action, curling his fingers in the familiar motion and pumping them against his inside to keep stretching him. 

He slowed down for a moment, pouring more lube on the entrance before carefully adding a fourth finger, pushing slow and waiting for Keith's body to relax enough to start curling them again. He thanked Keith for having prepared beforehand, that and his heated state making it easier to stretch him. 

Lance took Keith's left thigh with his hand to try keeping him from squirming too much in fear he'd hurt himself. That, and the fact he would probably come just from fingering if he kept moving, and Lance had other plans.

The fourth finger pulled a high whimper from Keith, and his body arched into the touch. Wow. To be this full, it overwhelmed him. He hadn't expected it to feel like this, and he certainly hadn't expected the booming feeling of love to still surpass his arousal, even as he moaned and groaned for Lance's attention. His stomach fluttered just as much with butterflies as with pleasure as he felt his rim stretch wider and wider, accommodating Lance's finger with more ease than before. 

Keith tried to push up to reach that one spot again, but was surprised to find Lance holding him down. His eyes met the other's, lips parted in an enduring moan, and begged him with his eyes to do something, anything, to bring that overwhelming feeling back. 

"L-Lance," he croaked. "That's enough preparation," he said, without knowing anything about it. He felt like he'd stretched wide enough for a whole hand, but also knew Lance was quite well endowed down there, and that his boyfriend would make sure not to hurt him. 

"I need you," he panted. "I need you inside me. Lance, baby. Come here." He took advantage of Lance's hesitation to pull him close, pushing up against the pillows to meet his lips. "I think I'm ready," he whispered, brushing his hands through Lance's hair. "I can take it now. I want to, please..." He kissed him again, hoping to persuade him of his confidence. 

He'd wanted this ever since Lance's touch didn't hurt anymore, and now he was finally so close, the reward within his reach. All he needed to do was reach out and take it. "Take me," he breathed in Lance's ear, nibbling on the skin of his neck. "Take me."

Lance pulled out his fingers. How to say no. Keith knew well how to convince him; everything from moaning his name, being straightforward, using keywords to show how much he wanted him. But mostly, he was so darn sweet. His heart did backflips with each and every gentle touch, word, kiss. 

The hands on his hair caused him to melt completely. He loved that. He loved him, so freaking much. How to say no when Keith whispered in his ear and bit his skin and set his already burning body on fire. He was weak. So weak for him. 

Yeah, he would trust Keith. Not like he himself could hold back any longer either. Lance pushed him to the pillows again, hovering over him with his blue gaze full of love and affection, his cheeks heated with desire. God. "You're so beautiful... I don't even think you're aware of how beautiful you are. You're gorgeous," he murmured fondly, caressing his cheek before giving the other a soft kiss. "I love you," he repeated, feeling the need to let it out again. 

Okay. Keith was a precious yet strong porcelain doll. He could take it. Lance gave him one look again, before lining himself to his rim, supporting his weight with a hand on each side of him and slowly push himself in.

It took tremendous self control not to ram himself inside. It was blazing hot and wet and tight - though not tight enough for him to not fit - and Lance nearly lost it. He managed to go slowly until it was all in, Lance tensing and gripping the sheets to keep himself in place, breathing loudly. Fucking hell. 

Besides the fact it had been a while, Lance was sure Keith felt better than anyone else he'd ever done this with. Maybe it was the fact he actually loved him, and Keith loved him back. Maybe they were truly ment to be together so they clicked in every single way. Or maybe Keith was just great like that. 

All the time as he waited he kept his hungry eyes on his, hoping his feelings would transcend silence while he let his body get used to his size. For what felt like an eternity he stood still, fighting his impulses until he felt he would die if he didn't start moving. And so he began pushing back and forth slowly, while both trying to hold back and wanting to wreck him, panting with frustration.

It was nothing like Keith had imagined it would be. The pure intensity turned his brain to mush, his insides screamed for relief or compassion or help or just so much more of that wonderful, full feeling. Lance's cock pushed a scream out of him, an actual, full power scream, as if it tortured him in all kinds of horrible fashions. It did, in a way. 

His arms closed around Lance, clawing at his back like his boyfriend wanted. If he had any sensible thought left in his brain, he might have worried about being heard, harsh winds outside and a crack of thunder in the distance masked his screams of pleasure. Lance was inside him. Lance. Was. Inside. Him. 

When the feeling threatened to rip him apart, he closed his legs around Lance's hips and kept him close, groaning as the thick cock reached so fucking far. He panted against Lance's shoulder, feeling everything throb and move and burn in the best places. 

"Lance," he whined through his wrecked throat. "Lance, it's so-" He choked on his own voice, as if his stuffed ass prohibited him from talking. "-So big!" he puffed. "It feels so t-tight. Please, Lance!" 

He recognised that Lance had tried to give him a minute to adapt before moving, but it hadn't been enough. Not even close. The Prince could feel every part of his hole, trying to accommodate to the foreign intrusion, stretching violently and pushed gasps from his throat at every small movement. 

He stared into Lance's eyes for a long time, almost feeling the restraint with which Lance held himself back. He could see the need in his boyfriend's expression, could feel how much he wanted to go on, and that hunger may have done it for Keith. It was hot, so hot, and the Prince felt urged to give Lance his all, to be his for this night, forever. A few seconds more, just to be sure, and then he nodded.

"Okay, I'm good. Thank you." He turned his head to press a kiss to Lance's wrist, laying back down, and releasing his legs' strong grip from Lance's hips. His grin widened as his clear mind gave more room for absolute desire. "I'm good."

Well that was good, and Lance was glad. But Lance wasn't good. He wanted him so fucking much right now. Specially now after the screams and moans and shameless exclamations and the expressions he'd made and his shaking body and the clawing and his tight- 

"You feel so fucking good-" he croaked helplessly. He was too aroused he would explode at this point. He would wreck him. He would if he didn't get a hold on himself. The only thing Lance knew, the only thing that he was used to, was harsh, violent, sometimes even painful sex. But he didn't want any of that for his lover. His bull sex drive was making troublesome finding the line between careful and overboard. He'd wanted this for so long, he'd supressed it for so long. It wasn't easy. Yet nothing could've prepared him for this moment. 

The prince seemed to have adapted almost completely now, however, which made his muscles relax around him and also allowed him to calm down a little. And allowed him a brief second to think. He was inside him, holy shit- 

He swallowed deeply, making sure Keith was telling the truth, that he was okay, before continuing rolling his hips, pushing deep inside him with each thrust - that he tried to keep moderated. But fuck if it was overwhelming. If he was dead, he was sure this would be heaven. Or hell, since it was excruciatingly hard to go slow. 

"Keith- babe- you feel amazing," he panted close to his ear before nibbling it, feeling the urge to bite somewhere, both to ground himself and make this pleasure more bearable. And to shut his rising grunting as he went slightly faster. "Darling please- let me bite you," he asked him, pleading him to have mercy on him.

Keith reached his arms over his head, grasping at the pillows to stop his body flying back at every trust, and to give himself something to react upon. "Lance!" he exclaimed as the boy pressed even deeper, made his insides squirm and his own dick bounce against his stomach. 

Lance praise only fired him up more, made him keen and preen beneath him, at the mere thought that Lance enjoyed himself being inside him. Keith felt that at some point, the burning pleasure should subside, that the movement should stop, but no. It just continued to blast him away, to drown him in waves of pure, raw pleasure. 

Lance's request, plead finally penetrated his dazed mind, and he looked his his boyfriend, forcing his eyes open. That may have been the best or worst decision of his life. Seeing Lance, all hot and bothered, hang above him while feeling him at the same time, tearing him apart from within, it exploded a bomb in his stomach. 

Lance wanted to bite him? Well, then he'd get to bite him. Lance deserved whatever he wanted. Keith nodded weakly, searching for his voice amidst dark oceans of desire. "Yes," he stuttered. "I'll... I'll cover it up later. Please, baby. Bite me." He pushed his head back, baring his neck in submission. 

No matter how fucking tight it still felt, how his every nerve still pickled and burned at every movement, Keith felt his body adapting to the slow fucking. His high pitched screams morfed into long, drawn out moans, which spiked at every deep thrust.

The Prince suddenly understood why the whole world seemed to be obsessed with sex. Nevertheless, he couldn't imagine every fuck felt this great, or no one would do anything but have sex all day, every day. Maybe Lance was special. Scratch that, Lance was definitely special. 

His lifted his hands into Lance's hair, as his boyfriend seemed to enjoy that earlier, and pulled weakly, pleading Lance to go harder, to really get going. If this was Lance holding back, as Keith could so clearly see in his eyes, the Prince may not want to find out what it'd be like to experience Lance at full capacity. It might kill him. It'd be one hundred percent worth it.

Every. Single. Time. That Keith called his name? Lance simply remembered how it felt to be alive, wanted, his chest filling with pride because it was him and only him pleasuring this gorgeous boy beneath him. He wanted to keep doing that, bring him joy and pleasure and everything he desired for the rest of his life. 

Then both of their looks connected, and the hunter knew everything the prince was thinking and feeling, and he knew Keith could read him as well. Their bond was just that strong and real. His voice filled his soul with content, and- oh fuck submitting his neck to him like that was such a turn on. 

Lance didn't wait more and hid his face on his neck, biting the soft skin hard enough to keep himself there but not hard enough for it to really hurt. Which he thanked, because his next moans managed to pull out some groans from his part as he got lost in that moment.

Well, almost, because he kept the small remaining piece of logical thought he still had to repeatedly tell himself to keep going slow. Until Keith pulled his hair.

And fuck if that wasn't one of his biggest turn ons. He knew Keith had done it with one purpose; he had him completely figured out. And that plea was all Lance needed to break free from his own limitations. 

He moved one hand to his soft waist, holding him as he increased the speed of his thrusts, slamming himself against him while the sound echoed the room. Shit, that friction sent him places. Far far away from there. 

Still, his movements were far from sloppy; every single time he was precise and kept hitting all the right places, over and over. He knew since every time Keith clenched and quivered around him, almost even tried to suck him in and keep him there. And Lance would gladly do that.

"Mhg--" Okay. Keith was really sucking him in. Lance wouldn't last much at this rate, but he didn't complain. He had no room to complain with his mind clouded with pleasure and the need of more, more, faster, deeper. Keith Keith Keith- "God- Keith- I want you-" he grunted against his neck, pounding him even harder. He was losing it, but he was too gone to fight it.

If Lance thought he was far gone, he hadn't seen the inside of Keith's head. Everything spun around him, he floated loose in space, the only thread tying him down to his boyfriend being the constant, unceasing, all-numbing pleasure, taking away the controls of his own body, taking away everything but the most basic human functions. Hunger, desire, need. He needed Lance, with his whole being. He needed Lance forever, to be attached to him like this forever, to hold him and touch him and kiss him and love him. He needed Lance.

"I w-want you too," he panted, nearly biting his own tongue as he shook back and forth on the bed, the wood creaking beneath him and the air hot enough to burn down an entire city. He rolled his hips in time with Lance, meeting him at every thrust and driving the cock deeper within himself. To the place where it belonged. 

"Fuck, I love you so much," he panted, pulling Lance's hair hard enough that the boy lowered to a decent kissing distance, and Keith attempted to meet his lips. Attempted, I say, since the shaking and shuddering only allowed him to brush their lips together, his own mouth open in whimpers and moans. 

"Please, Lance, I need you- It feels so good, so perfect inside me, you make me feel so good," he rambled, his body having taken over his voice, devoid of any sensible sentences. The pressure built up before he knew it, and his entrance clenched around Lance in warning. One hand still in Lance's hair, he pulled hard, while stratching over his back with the other, hard enough to leave a red stripe and draw a drop of blood. And then he came.

White flashes took away his sight and he arched his back elegantly, mouth falling open in a low scream, splashing white all over his own chest. His body moved on its own, tensing every single muscle beneath Lance's hold, spotting Lance's beautiful eyes through the lightning and begging him to make this moment last forever. 

This must be what perfection felt like, he thought as he came down from the blinding high. Dizzying pleasure, sweet praise, intense action, and Lance oh so close by. Everything he needed existed in the same moment, and he'd treasure this memory for years to come. 

Lance had a rule not to come first. No matter how much he wanted to, his priority was to always satisfy his partner first, and that moral duty had increased even more now since it was about Keith. 

He groaned loudly as Keith pulled him back by his hair, stewing into his pleasure indicators and panting as he talked, feeling pressure gather in his groin with each needy word, Keith's pleasure being his own and too much to handle. Fuck he was close. 

A raw groan escaped his chest as Keith's walls tightened completely around his cock, almost holding him in place with force, and a low moan of pleasure as his hair was pulled again as well as nails scratching across his back hard, ripping his skin open. Call him a masochist, but he fucking loved it. That's how he knew Keith couldn't even handle all that pleasure, that it was too much for him, and shit if that made Lance drunk with ecstasy. 

And then the prince came, and he helped him ride out his climax with deep, fast, hard thrusts, taking in all of his beautiful boyfriend in, how he arched and twisted, how his cock pulsed, how his screams ringed, how his expressions contorned. And between all of that, with half-liddled eyes, he glanced at him, directing all of those feelings and credit of those, to him. Coming with him.

And the brunet was unable to keep holding it back. Without warning he bursted inside of him, Lance groaning and gasping at the vast, unexpected intensity of his orgasm, coming hard inside as he gave firm, hard, final thrusts, his body tensing and jolting. 

"Ngh- Shit- Keith-!" he cursed between his panting and whimpering, unable to process anything, less such amount of pleasure that seemed to go on forever, his seed coating his insides completely. Paradise felt like this, Lance knew. Out of many intense climaxes this one was different, even more intense, lasting, real, love being a strong base of all those emotions that clashed against each other inside him, making him ecstatic.

Once he'd made up for his long held-back desire with fulfilling satisfaction he slowed down, coming to a full stop as he panted deeply in need of air in his lungs. His overworked body relaxed first to later begin shutting down, him slowly pulling out before his arms gave up on him completely and he fell on top of the prince. 

He found himself completely numb, almost knocked out after coming so hard. Despite that, he found enough strenght after a moment to lift his face a little and give slow little pecks and kisses to Keith's collarbone, neck and jaw, still too dizzy to do anything more complex.

The only thing stopping Keith from shivering was the hot, heavy body on top of him. With closed eyes, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and stroked over the harsh marks he'd left, feeling the blood beneath his fingertips. "'M sorry," he murmered. "Didn't mean to hurt you." 

He yawned, which turned into a whimper as he felt something flood from his--Fuck, how could something feel that disgusting and that arousing at the same time? He closed his arms tighter around Lance, holding him so he wouldn't leave, playing with his pretty locks of chocolate hair. 

The Prince and his lover lay there for a long time, both coming down from that all consuming high, both still processing how fucking amazing that had been. It took Keith maybe half an hour to finally find his voice again. 

"Does it always feel like that?" he asked out of curiosity, though the Prince was pretty sure he knew the answer already. No, it didn't always feel like this. What he and Lance had transcended normal pleasure, surpassed normal love. 

He hummed at the kisses, too tired to lift his head and kiss Lance back, and completely satisfied with the soft aftercare. He hasn't expected to be this tired after, even though he'd been told he would be. His usually unending stamina didn't extend to the world of sex, apparently. Sex involved emotions, desire, love, and the Prince didn't have enough stamina for any of those. 

He whined quietly when Lance's lips brushed over a sensitive, bitten spot on his skin. Lance had marked him up good, and Keith loved it. Too bad he couldn't show it off, display the marks proudly for the whole world to see. Maybe.. Maybe someday, when they were both free. Maybe then he could wear Lance's marks without worry.

Keith had said something. Lance knew, but it took him a moment to process the words in such peaceful state, drifting away further and further with those gentle hands on his hair, which were starting to make him sleepy. He hummed quietly, almost falling asleep until the prince whined due to the previous bite, pulling him back to that moment. 

"I hope I didn't bite you too hard," he murmured, softly caressing the place with his lips to soothe it. "I love it when you play with my hair... It's relaxing," he admitted lazily. Had there ever been a time when he felt this calm and at ease with the world? As a hunter - and former thief - he didn't get many chances to just chill in a bed and space out, forget about the rest. Right now there were no worries to be seen, no dangers to face, no problems to be solved and no fights to win. It was only them, him wrapped in the soft hands and gentle hug of the person he loved the most; his dearest prince charming. If he could choose one moment to live in forever, it would be this one. 

Right, what had Keith said? Something about... "It's alright, you didn't hurt me," he murmured. "The nerves on my back are quite-" Dead? "-numb, anyway. And I found it incredibly hot," he chuckled. It would heal fast, and he'd rather have his lover's scars cover up the whole bunch of other in his skin. 

"And.. No, it depends. It gets better," he answered in general. "But... I think this is the best sex I've ever had." He laughed, still blown away by it. Yeah. It probably was true love that increased everything, every sensation and feeling, including this subject.

"It was so amazing. You're amazing. This...This is amazing." All of it. Damn, between his heart overflowing with affection, his satisfied body and his exhausted mind he really felt high. He really wanted to sleep, but he gathered enough strenght to give the prince a soft kiss and push himself off the bed to clean the mess they'd made. 

With a towel he gently wiped his lover's body, himself, put their boxers on, folded the clothes spreaded across the floor, blew off the candle and finally let himself fall on the bed again, snuggling close to his prince and pulling a blanket over them. "I love you." He whispered, finding those indigo eyes in the darker room.

Keith got settled nicely in his boyfriend's arms, laying on his side, on top of one of Lance's arms with the other swung around his waist. His own hand traced tired circles over Lance's bare chest, humming to himself. His left leg lay over the hunter's, so their body truly entangled like their souls. "I love you too," he whispered. 

Keith tended not to let things go to his head, but Lance's praise flooded his mind, especially after claiming his own power this afternoon. The smile split his face and a warm feeling filled his chest. This had been the best sex Lance had ever had? With Keith? His first time? Wow. Keith had to agree, nothing could beat that, but he'd never thought Lance would think... 

"I love you too," he repeated, breathing in his boyfriend's ear. "And I really, really enjoyed this. I'd love to do it again some time." He pressed his lips to Lance's neck, sucking a lazy hickey into his skin when he realised Lance had stayed unmarked the whole time. "That's better," he croaked when he was satisfied with the red spot. 

"Now we both have something to remember this night by." He rubbed a thumb over his bite mark. "You bit me really hard, but I liked it, so don't worry too much." He lay his head back down on Lance's bicep. "You know, I keep believing you must disappoint me at some point, that you must be lacking in some aspect. But no, you just continue to amaze me every day. I wonder how you do it, how you're so perfect in every way." 

Keith pulled the blankets up to under his chin, the heated air having made place for a freezing night breeze, and his exhausted body could barely fight it. He crawled deeper into his boyfriend's arms, purring unconsciously. 

"Now, you need some rest. You've been working way too hard, like your mother said, and having sex isn't helping you to rest either. Besides, I should sleep too. There's a million things I haven't done yet, but still need to take care of before the wedding."

This might be their last calm night together. Only four night before Lotor came to live in this room, in this bed, and all of those nights would be busy and chaotic. But for now, the Prince lay in his lover's arms, relaxed against his chest and enjoyed the warmth. "Goodnight, Lance," he whispered.

Ah. The wedding Lance would rather not think about. He'd cross the bridge when he got there, so he wrapped his arm around Keith and breathed deeply, stewing on that moment again. He'd made Keith's first time enjoyable! He'd succeeded. 

"I'm glad you liked it, love," he murmured with a smile full of pride, chuckling at the small hickey on his neck. Oh how he'd show it off around like a trophy. He felt his cheeks turn slightly red at the compliment. Keith considered him perfect? Well... He'd try to be, for him.

"I hope... I'll keep doing my best, to try and amaze you every single day, for as long as I'm allowed." He smiled, pressing a light kiss to his head and moving a hand to his hair, caressing it weakly. 

Yeah... No matter what happened, despite the wedding and all the possible odds, Lance would keep fighting. It wasn't the end of the world. He could still meet his prince elsewhere, have fun together, make him forget about all of his worries. They would be fine. 

He closed his eyes, yawning quietly and whispering; "Goodnight darling, te quiero." As he finally succumbed to the strong currents of slumber.

His wrecked body and satisfied mind dragged the Prince off into a deep sleep, beyond the realms of realism and negativity, into a word of his greatest desire. 

The warm summer light fell through the round ceiling windows of the throne room, packed with people and booming with sounds. Keith turned to the woman in front of him, a child on her hip and a smile on her face. 

"Your majesty," she greeted him, bowing, to which Keith nodded his head. "Our farm has been flooded by rain the last few days, and we need to focus our manpower on the harvest. I humbly ask for assistance in rebuilding my home." 

The royal gave her a kind smile, and then turned to the man beside him, clad in fancy attire, the first signs of a stubble on his chin. "What do you think, my love?" Keith asked him. Lance found it difficult to get used to his new role, but Keith knew he'd be great once he got used to it. By asking his help on small things like this, he hoped to convince Lance of his own power. Lance didn't disappoint him, he never did. 

"We can help, can't we?" 

Keith nodded, turning back to the woman. "We will send a group of soldiers to help with the repair, and I'll leave you in charge of them for the next three weeks. You seem like a capable woman." With that, she thanked him abundantly and bowed again, walking away. 

"See? Your instincts are good. You are perfect for this role, perfect as my husband, Lance. And I wouldn't want to be king without you." He reached over to the second throne to stroke Lance's hand in reassurance, and then turned to the next commoner, in search of help. 

The throne room faded in front of Keith, but the feeling didn't leave. The feeling that everything would be alright. No matter what happened, they'd live the live of his dreams eventually. He rolled over in his sleep, laying his head upon Lance's chest, and slipped back into the future he so desired.


	41. The Fall Of A Prince

When morning came, Keith didn't smile anymore. It wasn't that anything was wrong, or that he'd forgotten the beautiful scene from his sleep, but his entire body... God, he hadn't had muscle aches like this since before he started swordfighting. 

He rolled over, out of Lance's hold with a groan, the blood streaming through his numb legs and bottom. Right, they'd had sex. He should have expected that might leave a mark on his body. Speaking of marks... He rubbed the circle of teeth on his neck, humming to himself. He would hide it, but the sensation would stay. Good. He wanted to feel Lance close to him. 

"Lancey," he muttered, rolling back into his boyfriend's arms. "It's almost sunrise. Time to wake up, my sweet man." He pressed his lips to the purple bruise he barely remembered creating, and then to the corner of Lance's lips. "Come on, lazypants. You're gonna get caught."

The hunter, who was deep asleep in exhaustion, opened his eyes in a flash at the key words, tensing up. Get caught? "Wh-What? Where-" His blue eyes darted around the room in confusion, only to register the rest of his words and find no one in the room but them. Dear lord. 

He went back to embracing the prince, sighing to get rid of the pressure that'd quickly built in his chest. "God you scared me," he muttered, closing his eyes again and taking Keith's sweet scent in, his raven hair tickling his face. He was still tired, but he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep again. Why was everything so difficult. "Mmmmsleep day..." he grumbled, allowing himself five more seconds of sleep pretend before yawning loudly and giving up. 

"Buenos días, amor," he said while rubbing his eyes, leaning to lay a peck on Keith's cheek before sitting up and stretching his arms. It was almost sunrise. Keith had been faster than Blue to wake him up. He remembered his words again and chuckled to himself. "Your sweet man." 'Well arent' you? My sweet man?' He'd still never get over it, drunk Keith over his lap asking him to sleep with him. Iconic. 

He ran a hand through his hair, finally settling back into reality. They... Oh, right. They'd made love last night. And it still felt amazing. For him, at least. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" He glanced at his boyfriend, scratching his nape. "Sorry... I feel I might have gone a bit too hard on you last night. I didn't mean to."

Keith chuckled, wiggling to the edge of the bed. "Nah, don't worry about it. It was just the right amount of hard. I'm not made of porcelain, remember?" He pushed up, turning to pick of Lance's shirt from the floor. What he hadn't expected was to stumble over his own legs, and only remain standing by clinging onto the bedpost. Oh. "Maybe you did go a little hard on me," he laughed, getting his legs beneath him properly. 

Once got his bearings, the damage turned out to be minimal. Sure, his ass hurt and his legs still felt numb, but he'd be able walk normally. "I'll be fine," he told Lance. "I'd literally sacrifice the use of my legs for days if it meant another night as great as the one we just experienced." He stumbled over to Lance in his underwear, arms full of clothes he'd picked up from the floor. He deposited them on the bed and helped his lover dress. 

"So, my love, how are you feeling? You liked it too, last night, didn't you?" He pulled Lance's cloak around his shoulders and tightened it, pulling him close for a long, deep kiss. "Good luck today, baby. I'll see you at dinner, and you'll come back to me tonight? I'll be waiting for you..." he purred, tangling his fingers in the brown locks. 

He'd grown to like the teasing, now that those words could pass his lips without painting his cheeks red. It may have something to them actually having done the thing he'd teased for so long, but it seemed both less frightening and more exciting at the same way. God, Keith wanted to do it again. Tonight would be too soon, right? 

He swung his arms over Lance and kissed him again, harder. "I love you," he mused, and then led him to the balcony, opening the doors to kiss him to the very moment he'd have to say goodbye. "I love you so much," he whispered, seeing the sky lighten to dark blue, the first signs of sunrise.

"Oh but I love you more," Lance cooed, with an enchanted smile directed at the prince. "So much more." If this was a contest he would win. Keith seemed to be getting bolder, more daring, but it was The Sharpshooter he was treating with. This was his ground and home, one of his many skills, he wouldn't be surpassed in the arts of love. 

Oh but how Keith had him melting with all that attention, the fond words, the honey sweet kisses... Completely wrapped around his finger. If he was a puppy he'd be wagging his tail. He'd be waiting for him... Ah. Such amount of affection couldn't be good for his weak heart. All of Keith wasn't. 

He had his arms wrapped around the prince's waist, making use of that to pull him into one last blazing kiss, conveying all of his feelings to his meaty lips before letting him go. "Good luck, my beautiful prince. I miss you already," he murmured lowly, bowing slightly and taking his snow white hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back. 'He wasn't made of porcelain.' But how to believe such perfect boy was made of flesh and bones instead of angel dust? 

A familiar bird's chirp in the distance got to his ears, signaling it was time to go. He pulled the black hood over his hair and took his iron arrows, walking backwards with his fond gaze nailed to his lover. "See you around, gorgeous," he said with a cheeky smirk before covering half of his face with the mask, going around the balcony afterwards to make his way down the tower.

Keith bit his lip as he watched the love of his life disappear over the edge of the balcony. God, he'd never get used to that. Not the affection, not the love, and definitely not the daily goodbyes. He'd also never had so much fun showering, admiring all the marks Lance had left on his body last night, especially his still sore bottom. Totally worth it. He covered the bite mark with a thick layer of concealer and went out to start the day. So what if he couldn't focus on classes cause he still felt Lance's lips on his? He understood these Latin poems anyway. 

Everything flowed smoothly until just after lunch, when he'd gone looking for Shiro throughout the Castle. Instead, he walked into someone he'd managed to avoid for the last few days. The white haired Prince stopped him, not taking long to figure out who Keith searched for.

"Captain Shirogane has been called to look into some crime in the village, you won't find him here." 

Keith raised a brow at him, already starting to walk away, deciding he could use this time to prepare for the delegation of Arus that would be arriving tonight for the wedding in a few days. However, the other Prince stepped back in front of him. 

"I remember you saying you'd like to practice on me, didn't you, Yorak?" Keith bared his teeth, but Lotor only smiled. "I'll take that as a yes? Or are you too scared to fight your fiance?"

That might have been what made Keith snap. Normally, he would never have let himself get lured into a fight that easily, knowing Lotor had more experience and skill, but to hear his taunts about the horrible, upcoming marriage, it drove Keith wild. He raised his chin up at Lotor, fire in his eyes, fists clenched, but held himself together at the last moment, knowing he couldn't outright fight Lotor in the middle of the hallway. "Follow me," he sissed, turning around and escorting the other to the training room. He'd show this ass what he was capable of.

The albino gladly followed after, hands on his back and a confident grin on his face. He hadn't had the best of luck lately; humilliated in front of the guards, his servant, even the king himself... And his mother, whose punishment for embarrassing himself hadn't been other than generous, according to her. 

The bruises in his arm still hurt. 

Keith had well feasted on his continuous defeats, and with each victory Lotor sensed he became bolder and more bigheaded, a true nuisance. More than he already was. Not that he was an actual threat, heavens no. Still... A ruler did not take any chances. He was ready to take the ground that was stolen from him and remind that little brat who was in charge. 

Once they reached the privacy of the training room Lotor cracked his head to the sides, the sound following every one of his fingers as he stretched them. "Brings back ol' memories, doesn't it, Yorak?" Of course Keith would accept the challenge, he was weak and had never won against him, not once in all of these years, and yet he was stupid enough to continue trying to fight him. To think for a single moment that he had a chance. "No matter the noise that you make, you are always defeated when it comes to the real battle." 

He took one of the training swords on his hands and tested it's weight before taking a middle stance - also known as posta breve -, one step forward, body facing to the front, hilt held down to the center, sword pointing upward towards his opponent's face. Stance wide, body lowered, eyes on him. "I'll allow you to try and strike first. You got me curious as to how exactly you plan to practice on me," he incited him arrogantly.

Keith took a calming breath and reached down to take a second sword, edges hit blunt by the Castle blacksmith, weighing it carefully in his hand before deciding it lay in his hand properly balanced. Letting the air escape his lungs, he turned back to Lotor, adapting a similar pose, only the point of his sword hanging an inch or two below Lotor's, due to the difference in length between the two men. 

He met the icy blue eyes, so opposite the lively, ocean breeze blue of Lance's eyes, and didn't bother to reply to the crude and childish taunts. Sure, he hadn't beaten Lotor since they were children, and sure, he didn't want to end up on the ground, sword to his neck and Lotor laughing down at him, but he couldn't back out now. 

Something in the man's tone, in his expression maybe, sparked a memory inside of Keith. A recent memory. Lance, sitting on his bed, crying because someone had made him feel like a buyable slut. This man in front of him had hurt his boyfriend. He had tried to get him to offer himself for money. He had touched him. He had touched Lance. 

A fire flickered in Keith's violet eyes, burning its way across his pale and contorted features, and he raised his sword high to bring it down without warning. When he saw Lotor's quick reflexes lift a blade to block him, Keith shifted his attack and kicked him swiftly in the stomach, which had been abandoned of protection. The kick pushed them both apart, but Keith quickly regained his posture and moved to strike again, this time from the side, where Lotor caught his blade. 

"You disgust me," he growled, swinging from the upper left now. This man had hurt him many times, but now he'd hurt Lance, and he would pay for that. While Lotor got distracted with blocking, Keith swung a fist into his stomach.

"Come on, now you're not even trying to fight back," he taunted, not sure why he'd gained the upper hand but determined to keep it. Maybe Lance had given him power. Maybe the need to defend him surpassed the difference in strength between him and his opponent. Just the thought of beating Lotor here, maybe giving him a black eye, and then letting Lance see, showing Lance he had nothing to fear from the evil Prince because Keith would always, always defend him? It made Keith's heart burn with pride.

So Lotor was confused- what was even happening right now? Maybe he was reading the situation wrong, but... Keith seemed oddly mad at him? Perhaps even pissed? Of course, they didn't like each other, and he didn't expect the shorter man to smile at him either, but his explosive behaviour went beyond their mutual hate. The Arus prince couldn't help but wonder what the fuck he'd done for Keith to rage this much. He'd been rather inactive these past few days, casted to witness in the shadow without a voice, all thanks to Keith. And yet he had the nerve, the audacity- 

"Scumbag twig-" he growled with a hand on his stomach, forced to slightly bent over due to the pain. He did not remember Keith being this strong. Was this really even Keith? Each day that passed the less he felt he recognized him. The prince regained his posture once more, trying to shake the surprise and confusion out of his body, before charging to confront him. 

The sound of the metal clashed as the swords met and the blades graced against the other, Lotor's footwork smooth and fluid, with a balance he was used to mantain out in the battlefield. He dodged one of the ravenette's swings, taking the chance to bend down and slash the blade across his leg. He saw Keith managed to move quick enough to only gain a superficial cut, but he wouldn't miss next time. 

"You're such a pain in the ass, Yorak. More than usual," he spoke through his gritted teeth, forcing Keith to walk back with a series of sword clashes, stopping with a strong block from the other, swords shaking as the princes pushed the other with force.

His cold gaze stood firm against his rival, face to face, close enough to try and read the intensity of Keith's emotions; Could this, perhaps, be personal? Lotor's expression twisted with a malicious content, tasting that sweet victory he didn't even know he'd had, glad he was the reason behind his rival's anger. 

"You know?" He showed his teeth shamelessly. "Whatever you blame me for, whatever I did; I don't regret a second of it. I would do it all over again to see that hatred in your eyes," he sneered.

The flame inside Keith, the flicker of anger, ignited into a full on infernal rage. The mere thought of what Lotor suggested, of him having his hands on Lance again, of his long, creepy fingers anywhere on Lance's beautiful, gorgeously soft skin, fired Keith up unlike anything else. The thought of how it would make Lance feel if anyone disrespected his boundaries again... He wouldn't let him. Keith had promised Lance he'd keep him safe, and he wasn't planning to break that promise, ever. 

The smaller prince's used his new anger to push Lotor back, the edges of his vision blurred with scarlet, only one target in his mind. Lotor. Hurt Lotor. He slashed high, from right to left, forcing the other to duck. The long white hair waved behind him like a cape, but couldn't completely escape the blade chasing it, a few smooth, white locks dwindling to the floor. Keith might have laughed at that, knowing how much Lotor cared about his hair, but the rage in his head didn't allow any other emotions to surface. 

"You will- never- touch-" he grunted, in between violent, strong hit, stopping himself just in time. Lotor couldn't know this involved Lance. He could figure out what was going on, or even worse, he'd go after Lance even more eagerly, knowing how it made Keith feel. "Shut up," he breathed instead, pushing Lotor's blade out of the way when it swung towards his head. "I'll make you regret it."

A flicker of cunfusion, maybe insecurity, barely visible at all, passed over Lotor's eyes, and Keith took his chance. Despite the stinging wound on his leg, steadily dripping blood into his shoes, he stepped forward, underneath Lotor's blade, and hit the tan hand hand with the hilt of his own sword, knowing it would hurt like hell. Dashing out of the way just in time to dodge Lotor's fist, he whipped his sword under Lotor's and spun a quick circle, tilting it up at the last moment to free the sword from its holder. 

Panting, he took a step back to stare at the dazed Prince, a smile finally growing on his face again. "You don't know me, Lotor. You don't know anything about me." Looking at the sword in his hand, he scoffed and threw it to the floor. If this man thought he'd get away with his vile acts this easily, he'd be unpleasantly surprised. 

"Want to go for round two?" he asked, lifting his fists and getting ready to fight more. Sure, disarming Lotor was rewarding, but punching him in the face? Repeatedly? God, that was a reward in its own. The only thing missing was Lance to cheer him on from the sidelines. 

Lance. The cheery boy that usually took up all of his mind, now only looked sad. Humiliated. Disrespected. The Lance that Keith had held and told everything would be alright, that he'd make Lotor pay, had been on his mind ever since the night he'd told him. Anger clouded his sight, creeping in closer and closer until he saw nearly the whole room through a red haze. He'd make him pay.

Agape was a fitting summary of how the albino prince felt. Incredulous, confused and... Weirded out. So much had happened in the span of a few seconds that his head spun, his eyes momentarily staring down to the slayed strands of white hair that were no longer part of his - now not so perfect - ponytail... 

But mostly, what kept him in place was how easily Keith had defeated him. Yorak Keith fucking Kogane of Daibazaal had defeated him, him of all people, for once in his life. He wouldn't lie, that fact was unsettling. What if he was no longer in cotrol? No longer superior? What would happen when they got married? Was he worthy of ruling, if he was put down by such weakling? 

'You don't know me.' He really... started to feel like he didn't. The ravenette seemed to have a motivation that escaped his knowledge, something he didn't have before, something that truly sparked courage inside of him. But what was that? Make him regret what? Keith made it sound like a personal revenge. Over what, again? Maybe he meant himself and how he'd treated him over the years? That could be a possibility. What else could he be talking about that had such importance? "..." 'Who are you?' he thought for a moment, panting and recovering from his shock.

Keith seemed awfully confident. It made him want to throw up. "I'll errase that smug expression of yours, Yorak," he threatened, adopting a ready stance and light on his feet. His previously secured hairstyle now had a few strands over his face due to all the movements. However they contributed, with his insecure expression, to give him a desperate look. A strong contrast between his usual confident and regal appearance. 

Lotor took a while to be aware, and quickly decided to give some sort of explanation for his apparent defeat. "...Don't get too cocky. You only got lucky this time." Yeah, it was probably that. Why else would he beat him in anything at all? 

With his fists raised, he threw a false punch with his right fist, taking the moment Keith dodged to spin and elbow him in the face, followed by a strong kick on his ribbs.

Keith stumbled back, gasping for breath as the world shook before him. In his rage, he'd almost forgotten how aggressive Lotor could fight, how quick and nimble the tall man moved when he attacked. The sting in his face where the prince's elbow had collided with his cheek gave him clarity, the ability to look through the red haze in his mind. He needed to think, to keep his head on straight. Patience yields focus. No matter how badly he wanted revenge, he couldn't let that need stop him from actually getting it. 

One hand brushing back his hair, the other clenched tightly into a fist, his eyes found Lotor's as both of them stood completely still. Lucky? Yeah, sure. Then again, Lotor didn't know what really drove him this time, what gave him that extra strength, that unexpected power. Lotor didn't know about Lance. The air swirled inside Keith's lungs, and slowly drifted into the air again. He needed to do this. He needed to beat Lotor, this time for real. 

Keith let the emotions slide off him, and attacked.

His body moved on its own, all those years of training and practice visible in his smooth movements, the way he got close to Lotor before the man had a chance to stop him. His balled fist only missed Lotor's face by inches as the other stepped back.

Keith didn't hesitate, his other hand flew up to strike against Lotor's throat, not missing this time. The harsh hit had the desired effect, and Keith watched in satisfaction as the older Prince gasped for breath, coughing as his airpipe recovered. The sight may have made Keith a little audacious, that smug expression Lotor had been wanting to erase returning on his otherwise emotionless face. He wanted to see that again, that pain. He wanted Lotor to suffer, hurt for what he did to Lance. 

But when he swung his fist up to hit Lotor in the face, the other Prince dipped down, twisting underneath Keith's arm and pressing close behind him. Less than a second later, an arm closed around Keith's throat, pulling him back. Keith struggled and choked, the strong hold making it impossible to get loose, only hurting himself while he tried. 

Focus, Keith. Think. There had to be a way out. Just before his contracting lungs would force him to give up on the fight, to yield, it came to him. He twisted his body as far as it would go, then swung his elbow back hard, straight into Lotor's crotch. No matter how high the albino prince's tolerance for pain was, he couldn't stop himself doubling over, letting go of Keith, and groaning in pain at the underhanded move. 

And even though Keith's body begged him to stand still and take a breath, he lurched forward and jumped on top of the young man, forcing him on his back and holding his arms down, one with his knee and the other with a hand. Keith's second arm pressed against Lotor's throat, and the young Prince panted for air as he looked down, hatred flooding back into his eyes at the close up sight of his rival's face. 

"Yield!" he growled at him. "Yield, Lotor!" He applied more pressure, not even sure if Lotor knew how to yield. He'd never had to do it before. Never, until now.

Yield? Yield? Him? "Never-!" The dark skinned prince struggled beneath his grip, trying to get one of his arms free or to throw him aside applying force on his legs. But the previous hit had left him hurting all over, and each time he struggled, the more the boy on top of him applied force on his throat. But Lotor didn't stop fighting, which meant he was running out of air faster than necessary. Not that he realized at the moment of course, his mind was between desperate and shocked. 

This really couldn't be happening? Keith. Who'd always stood quiet, who he'd always defeated with ease, was now forcing him to surrender? That angry expression of his was slightly frightening. What the hell. Nothing of this made sense. No, he wouldn't give up. 

"N-Nev-er-" he choked out, twisting and turning, gasping helplessly so the thinnest of air would get into his lungs. He couldn't give up. It was victory or death. No one ever said anything about surrender, except he couldn't, in any circumstance, do so. "Hh-!" 

He felt his throat and lungs clenching painfully, his red eyes gathering tears from the pressure, his vision turning dark and blurry, his muscles giving up on him. He was passing out. But he would rather die, than surrender.

Keith stared at him, furious gaze fading to make way for annoyance, confusion. Why wouldn't the man just yield? He'd forced Keith to, countless times, fight after fight. Maybe Keith had been right, and Lotor didn't know how to yield. 

Staring down at the dark skinned face as it slowly turned red, those wide eyes full of white, and the mouth open, begging for air, it gave Keith a sick sense of satisfaction. These were the same eyes that had looked at Lance. The mouth that had so shamelessly insulted him now gasped for breath under Keith's vengeful grip. And as he pushed Lotor's hands harder to the ground, he couldn't help but remember where they'd touched Lance, and how he could prevent them from ever touching his lover again if he just pushed a little harder. 

So why wouldn't he give up, accept his defeat so he'd spare his life? Keith could see it in the icy blue eyes, he was losing consciousness. And yet, he still didn't give in. The bright violet eyes flickered as a truth came to him. Lotor's entire self worth depended on him being better than Keith. Better at fighting, better at pleasing his parent, better at being a Prince. Lotor couldn't give in, for that would make him inferior. And if he wasn't the best, what would he be?

Despite every bone in Keith's body screaming at him to push through, to finish the job and show Lotor he couldn't mess with him anymore, to show Lance he wouldn't let anyone get away with hurting him, Keith felt pity for the man beneath him. Pity. He felt sorry for the Prince that had been tormenting him all his life, that had been his rival since they were kids, that had made his life miserable for the simple pleasure of it. 

The ravenette only remembered feeling like this one time before. He'd been about nine, Lotor thirteen, and the older boy had made a rare mistake. Something so simple and human, Keith had forgotten what it was. The teen had tried to throw the blame on Keith, of course, but failed. His mother, Queen Honerva, had taken him aside during a celebration in the castle. They returned about an hour later, flecks of blood slipping through the ruffle on Lotor's shirt, his mother holding him by the scruff of the neck and forcing him back into the room. Keith had met his eyes, seeing the kind of pain he knew all too well. Abuse. Not that Keith had known how wrong it was at the time. 

And even though they'd both aged, Keith could see that same fear in his eyes. Fear of disappointing those above him, those that controlled him. Maybe they were more alike than he'd like to believe. Maybe, in a few years, Keith would have been just like him. The only difference was that Lotor didn't have anyone to show him love, real love. He didn't have Lance to tell him that his worth didn't depend on how much he achieved. 

A few seconds, a thousand realisations, and Keith released his grip, getting up and stepping away from the body on the ground. Once he'd gotten his breathing under control, he looked at Lotor again, relieved to see his chest still rising and falling, eyes still open and conscious. "I'm sorry," he said, those words unfamiliar on his tongue, directed at his lifelong enemy.

The chance he got to breathe again Lotor sucked big puffs of air, his body desperate to keep his organs running at all cost. Still dizzy and confused, he slowly sat up, a hand on his throat and eyes on the floor to stabilize his spinning head. Keith had let go. K-Keith had... spared him. Keith had spared him. Keith had beaten him. Keith had-

'I'm sorry.'

...His cold, shaky eyes managed to find the other's feet and make their way to the top, to his remorseful, understanding expression. Keith had never looked at him like that before. Like he had pity on him.

Lotor didn't like it.

"Sorry?" he croaked with an amused, trembling smirk, after a long moment of staring. "What's wrong with you? Huh? Have you forgotten who I am?! It's me who should be sorry. You're such a failure to everyone around you," he mused, raising a hand to his cheek. It was wet. It was- 

"..." Was he... Crying? Lotor couldn't remember the last time he cried. Even less in front of someone else. How long had it been? Years? Why the hell was he even crying for? He wasn't a kid anymore.

...But he'd been defeated by the weakest link. He was less than a servant right now. He was nothing. How would he rule married to Keith? Would he step on him? Get in the way? Reduce him to a second place? How could this happen? And if anyone found out, if his mother found out... S-She would- "..." 

Feeling his body shake as more tears rolled down his eyes, he lowered his head and took his hands to his face, trying to make them stop. Keith was sorry? "..I've always been better than you. I'm more than you will ever be. Don't fucking dare give me that look. You're crazy." But Keith had still defeated him, twice. That without counting the time he defeated him in front of the king. 

"..Don't let it go over your head. I'm just rusty," he spat, doing his best to believe what his own words claimed. Because if he didn't try lying to himself he would absolutely break, and he couldn't do that. He couldn't. He would rather die. 

He forced himself to stop shaking, dried his face with his arm and stood up as regally as he could, stern eyes on the other prince. "...I'll give you something to be sorry for," he rejected his pity with a weak threat. He'd already made too much of a fool of himself, no matter what he said, he couldn't fix it. Not wanting to spend any second more with his failure's embodiment, he swallowed all of his emotions and walked out of the room.

Keith had stated at him all the way through his breakdown. Lotor was crying? He'd never seen him cry before, and he doubted as well the man had seen himself cry, with the way he reacted to the plentiful tears. 

Keith had looked up at him, in a strange way. Even though he resented every part of Lotor, he still wanted to be like him. Perfect, flawless. He couldn't count how many times he'd wished to be Lotor, so that his father wouldn't punish him anymore. But as all abusive parents did, he would have found a different reason to hurt him. After all, Honerva found a way to punish hér son, despite his seemless perfection. 

The Prince hung both their swords back on the rack and made his way to his own room for a shower. At least he'd gotten revenge for his lover, as much as he could without actually killing Lotor. Maybe he'd done something worse. He spared him, but he'd also destroyed him. Or, at least, the image he had of himself. The expression Lotor's face had shown... He couldn't forget about it. 

In summary, Keith had a lot of feelings regarding the other boy. Even though he'd forgiven him for bullying, he couldn't forget about what he'd done to Lance. And while he understood his determination to best Keith at everything, he felt sorry for that it had to be this way. Without their parents, who knew, they might have been friends.

Once the cold water hit his sweaty skin, all those worries flowed down the drain as well. He'd figure it out later, or he'd let Lotor figure it out himself. Right now, he had more things to get busy with.

After his shower, he made his way to the kitchens to discuss the meal plans for the wedding with Hunk. Keith even got himself to care about whether they'd eat boar or hart at the dreaded event. Of course, he wanted to make it as easy as possible for his boyfriend, who would have to hunt the damn animals. 

After the drearily long talk, the cook made him a wonderful lunch down in the kitchens. Hunk had really started to like him now that he dated Lance. Or maybe it was the fact that Keith had dropped most of his royal attitude when they were alone together. Either way, the cook had a talent for making people feel comfortable and safe, especially when their bellies were full with his cooking.

The rest of the day flew by fairly quickly, Keith busy with wedding details and his regular duties, up until seven o clock, when the trumpets outside signaled the arrival of the neighbouring royals, who would stay in the guest quarters for these few days leading up to the wedding. 

He hadn't seen Lotor again all day, and he wasn't with King Zarkon and Queen Honerva when Keith walked into the entrance hall. Well, he wasn't technically mandated to be here, since it wasn't his castle that hosted the guests, but since they came for the wedding... Well, perhaps he was busy with something else. 

Keith's mind wandered for a little while as a servant started announcing the Royal Highnesses of Olkarion and their wonderful daughter, Princess Katie, who turned out to be at least two heads shorter than Keith, which truly meant something. The ravenette knew nearly all royals, especially those his age, but the Olkarions recently resolved a minor conflict with King Zarkon, which meant they were finally back in the invite lists after nearly ten years. 

Keith bowed obediently when he had to, greeting the other royals with utmost grace. Now that he saw her up close, Princess Katie did seem familiar. He might have spoken to her a few times as a child. The short girl looked.. rebellious, to say it politely. Keith had never seen anyone with hair that wild, with a bored yet malicious look on her face, as if her eyes constantly scanned the room for the best subject to pull a prank on. Keith instantly liked her. The new castle inhabitants were given a short time to clean themselves up in their rooms, before they all made their way to dinner.

Katie had turned seven when the conflict with the neighbor kingdom stopped providing them with military security. Not that it was too much of an issue, the Olkari had always been resourceful, always one step ahead in inventions, weapons and defense, tools that made life easier in their kingdom. Without them, Daibazaal wouldn't have running water and a water heating system.

King Zarkon, of course, invested more in military power than progress for the people beneath him. He was selfish, arrogant and aggresive. The more Katie heard about him, the more beast-like he appeared in her memory.

The Olkari had never approved of his methods. At one point they refused to keep supporting his blood thirst with their advanced technology and machinery, but everyone knew the King didn't play fairly. Their creations, materials and invention plans would be stolen at night. And regardless of King Zarkon's innocent facade, her parents didn't buy any of it. 

However they couldn't accuse him of trespassing and stealing, the king only answered to accusations with brute force and numbers of lives. It was better for them to not be seen as the enemy, so they just laid low as King Zarkon destroyed every land he got in his hands.

But Katie wouldn't just sit by and do nothing. Following her brother's footsteps, she would disguise and infiltrate into the neighbor kingdom as a simple servant boy. A boy, because the people knew her as small Princess Katie. Plus, she was still a kid, it was less possible she would get assaulted or neglected or looked down on by men with no braincells. And she loved pants and the agility they offered, instead of the long tight dresses that made her slow and clumsy. So she cut her hair.

This was the closest she'd been to the Daibazaal royals in years though. She'd been watching from afar, but of course, the royals didn't pay attention to commoners. No need to worry, they clearly didn't suspect a thing. Such superficial people.

She didn't mind the King's emo son and walked to her assigned room, her eyes wondering around with curiosity. Huh. Her castle was much more advanced. Not like she minded, she could always find a thing or two to add to her gadget collection, even if it was rather antiquated. She could always make it better.

Hm... She wondered if Hunk and Lance still worked at the castle?

.......

"You ok?" the royal cook asked to his friend while they waited for the royals to enter the room. "You look tired. As in, more tired than usual." Even if Lance was physically and/or emotionally exhausted he always managed to appear somewhat energetic and presentable. This time, however, his hair was a mess. And Lance's hair was never a mess.

"Yeah." The hunter replied with a yawn. "Just tired... Though I appreciate having to hunt hart instead of boar. That was very sweet of him." He smiled at his lover's consideration. Of course Hunk had told him, he also appreciated the Prince really cared for him to that level. 

Sooner than not, the royal families were stepping into the room and taking their respective seats on the table; Prince Lotor looking less cocky than usual, Keith looking less uptight than usual, and uh... Who was she again? Oh, right. The neighbor kingdom. Keith did tell him about it that morning. The Olkari King and Queen also sat on the table, along their short daughter, who... Looked oddly familiar? Though he couldn't grasp who she reminded him to. 

"Hey Hunk, doesn't the Princess remind you of-"

"Pidge..!" he whispered in astonishment, to what Lance raised an eyebrow and looked around the room. Pidge? Now that he mentioned it, they hadn't seen him around for a couple months. He'd always been a very secretive gal. But why mention him now? Lance was talking about the Olkari princess. Had Hunk even heard him? Smh.

Keith's day had been boring and horribly Lance-less. Only now did he see him again, standing on his usual spot, next to the cook. When the rest of the royals seemed too busy to be watching him, he dedicated his boyfriend a small smile, before turning his gaze back to the table. His Lance. He truly hoped his boyfriend would be proud of him for defeating Lotor this morning, even though Keith's own feelings about the fight still bugged him. Had he done the right thing? 

He shook the feeling off and listened to his father as he welcomed the newcomers yet again, wished them a pleasant stay at the castle, and opening the meal officially. The Royal arrival meant a new seating chart, as the Kings and Queens had to sit as close to the head of the table as possible, fitting to their status, which meant Keith and Lotor were boosted a few seats further, to sit alongside Princess Katie.

This barely bothered Keith, especially with the way Lotor didn't speak at all, and Katie sat in her seat like a little ball of energy, immediately capturing Keith in conversation about the differences between the Daibazaal castle and her own, which was apparently buzzing with the newest inventions. The way she talked about transporting goods across her kingdoms with nothing but hot air, and the new communication device her and her father had been working on, it got even Keith excited about the possibilities. 

At the head of the table, King Zarkon still discussed the current status of developing weaponry with the rulers of Olkarion, and Honerva pretended to be listening while her attention kept sliding towards her son, who'd never been this quiet and pulled back before. Keith tried not to pay attention to the other Prince too much, he'd given him a big enough blow to his self esteem already this morning. If he pushed any further, Lotor might break and attack him.

"So yeah, if we can find a way to tune out the natural frequencies, we could soon have a way to communicate by air," the princess continued enthusiastically. Her smile tightened as she looked at the king. "Too bad most of our time is being taken up by making weapons for other parties," she growled under her breath, and Keith immediately understood what she meant, but didn't react. Even if he agreed with her that his father waged too much war, and with unethical methods, he couldn't openly oppose him. "That must be frustrating," he just said, continuing with his pheasant and hart stew. 

He tried not to let his gaze slip to his lover, but Lance and Hunk seemed to be discussing something, and Keith narrowed his eyes. He couldn't hear what they were saying but it must have been important enough to have a conversation about in the middle of royal dinner, during which the servants were usually expected to stay quiet. Was it about him? Had Lance heard of Lotor's defeat yet? God, he couldn't wait to hold him tonight and tell him all about it.

"Hunk. Due all respect, you've gone completely mental," Lance whispered to his friend as the royals enjoyed their dinner, too busy to really notice them talking. "You can't be suggesting Pidge, our long life friend, who's been with us for years, who's a genious sneaky mechanic, a homeless commoner with dirty, patched clothing, is a princess?" He glanced at the short princess in the royal table for a moment; she did resemble his gremlin facial features and their hairstyle was very similar, if he used enough imagination, maybe...? 

His eyes then moved on their own to the prince talking to her. Ah, his prince. His wonderful, marvelous prince. He had smiled at him moments earlier even having the others around, which was something completely new. Or maybe he'd imagined it? Either way, his heart couldn't help jumping at the thought. God he was so handsome. And happiness looked great on him. He was happy! He was clearly happy. Did it have something to do with gloomy Prince Lotor? Hm.

"Earth calling Sharpshooter, you there?" Lance gave his attention to Hunk again, who'd clearly been talking to him for a while and he wasn't listening. Hunk sighed. "As I was saying; in this time and age, do you really find it hard to believe Pidge is actually a girl?"

"Yes..? No? I don't- that's not what I mean." He rolled his eyes at the cook's unimpressed face. "I don't care what he is, it'd just be unexpected. I think he would've told us? I mean, we trust him with everything. Plus, he hates royalty."

"You also 'hate' royalty and you're... Coughdatingaprincecough," Hunk said in between, eyeing the ravenette.

"Well yeah but- that's different? He's... Different." He crossed his arms, feeling Hunk's poker stare piercing him with the word 'idiot.' "Ok! Maybe he's not the only one. But that still doesn't prove anything." He scowled and looked back at the table. Keith and the Princess seemed to be getting along... But that was pure coincidence, right? Why... Why would Pidge pretend to be their friend for such a long time...?

In the meantime, Keith really couldn't keep up with the technological terms anymore. He knew plenty about chemistry and physics - both part of his mandatory curriculum - but Katie seemed to use terms that hadn't existed before that day, at least in Keith's knowledge. When the Princess noticed, she slowed down and chuckled. "I'll... uhm, let you eat." 

Keith gave her a grateful nod and took a sip of wine, letting his attention flow across the table. His father finally seemed to be ending the discussion, neither party looking happy with where the conversation had lead. To fill the silence, Honerva volunteered a new subject, her wonderful son. She must have seen the slight bruising under Keith's eye, for her conclusion sounded in her next words. 

"Lotor," she said, turning to her right. "I heard you and Prince Yorak have been sparring again. Tell me, has he improved since last time you beat him?" Her words were clearly crafted to sting, to insult Keith. In the past, it always succeeded in making Keith feel small and incapable. Not anymore. He couldn't help but smile down at the table, curious with how the albino Prince would answer that question. Despite his newfound, adult way of looking at Lotor, he couldn't help but feel justified in his years of trauma now that Lotor had to admit his defeat out loud. 

He threw Lance another glance, wishing he could stare at him, see each and every one of his expressions when he learned that his boyfriend had beaten the cruel Prince. Instead, he kept his gaze on his father. Even though he'd realised he didn't need nor want that man's approval, he still felt a longing to see a smile, a nod, anything to signal that he'd earned that same approval he'd been searching for all his life.

'I heard you and Prince Yorak have been sparring again.' The man froze. She'd heard? From who? And when? Wait. Did they saw? Did they tell her? Did she know? How much? Oh god. He was dead. He would die. Was it Keith who told her? Hadn't he had enough?

...No, it wasn't him. He'd spared him and his honor. But it didn't matter, he couldn't run away now like he did from the training room. If he lied, she would know. Keith could tell, and if he didn't, someone else would. Maybe not now but eventually. And if he lied the punishment would be ten times worse. What... What would King Zarkon think of him...? Wouldn't he be the favourite anymore? The chosen? 

He was growing cold, staring at his plate with nervous sweat running down his temple, eyes wide as he repeated that event on a loop in his mind. If he didn't answer it would be worst. There was no available option besides... Being honest. It wasn't that bad, he was just rusty. It'd been a while since he last trained and Keith had used new techniques, which wouldn't be a problem, right? That little fight didn't mean anything.

And he repeated those words in his brain to keep his heart from exploding and his lungs from clenching. Be loud and clear, have pride in your tone.

However; "...He has." The words came out in a low, restrained tone, that the royals in the table could barely hear. He knew his mother despised murmuring, he had to speak louder, even if he would die. 

"...Prince Yorak... won, in today's training." The words he'd never used burned on his throat and were hard to get out, he fond himself forcing his own quivers and tears to build, he couldn't show those kinds of indecent emotions. Not in front of the Queen, and n o t in front of the King, his so wanted father figure. 

He felt the angry and confused, incredulous eyes of his mother upon him, but he couldn't look. It was already scary, and to think after dinner she'd take him somewhere else and punish his failure? No, don't think about that. You wíll cry. You haven't even tried to excuse yourself. "...I was rusty." 

But even so, Keith was less than a nobody, and he'd fallen to his level. Or Keith had caught up. This probably made that bastard very happy, but Lotor couldn't be mad at him or resentful right now, the only available feelings of his body being fear and disappointment on himself. It was too late to fix it. All that was left for him was to be strong and roll with the punches.

You could have heard a needle hit the floor in the silence that followed. Keith watched every expression around the table carefully. The guest royals seemed confused, they didn't understand what that meant, but could sense the tension those words had created. Lotor looked physically pained after speaking those words, and again, Keith felt sorry for him. 

Honerva's expression slowly changed from pure gloating, to shock, and then to anger. How could her son, her son, get defeated by Yorak, who he'd bested in every duel since they were kids? Had he gone weak? Incompetent? Her lips, pulled into a thin line, quivered in dissatisfaction. But she couldn't express it here, at the dinnertable, especially with the other royal guests present. Family issues were not to be displayed in public, as they showed weakness. She shot her son one last furious glare, warning him of what was to come, and then continued eating. 

Keith looked away from her, towards his father. Out of everyone, the Kings reaction surprised him most. The tall man looked at his son, then gave him a meaningful nod, eyebrows raised in pride, an almost hidden smile on his features. Something jumped inside Keith's heart. Oh. So that's what approval felt like. 

He quickly looked down again, pushing back the feeling of joy. No, his father's approval shouldn't make him happy. The king was not a good man, he shouldn't care about his opinion. But.. It was also Keith's father. Keith only cared more about one person's opinion, but alas, he could not look at Lance right now, not with all the eyes on him. He could only imagine what Lance looked like right now, with that cute shocked expression on his face, slowly merging into one of pride and happiness. He'd done it all for Lance, to make his lover happy.

And hell if he was happy. Lotor defeated? By Keith? And Lotor had been the one to admit it? Holy shit. Something had really gone down that day. Actually, so many things were happening at once. Queen Honerva was silently raging and the King was... happy? Was he even capable of feeling that emotion? He was proud... That was a relief. As long as the storm was far, Keith wouldn't get hurt. That's all that mattered. 

And Keith! Ohmygod, Keith had finally done it! He wondered how it'd been. Blood included? It wasn't a real fight without blood. Oh, but he hoped Keith didn't get too hurt. Who was he kidding? His boyfriend was extra badass. He'd seen how good he was in hand to hand combat, he'd probably beaten him without breaking a sweat! 

He felt his inner self jumping around the place, his exterior self still nailed to the floor with the brightest smile as he used his telepathy to tell Hunk all about his amazing lover. Clearly Hunk was telepathically happy, but also tired of Lance bragging about the prince every single time. The boy couldn't help it though, he was so proud! After all these years, all the struggles, all the advice, he'd finally decided to beat him. Yes, decided, because Lance knew Keith had been absolutely capable of kicking his ass all along. He just needed to believe he could, believe in himself.

And perhaps some motivational revenge? Could it be...? Sure, what happened with Lotor... Lance probably wouldn't be able to forget, even if he acted like it'd never happened. But this was just a rivalry thing. Unless...?

Hunk saw his friend progressively turning red. He chose to not question it, he prefered not to know what he could have in mind.

........

The shadow landed unsteadily on the balcony stone, no moon projecting it's silhouette, covered by the clouds. Carefree at most the brunette pulled down his hoodie, taking a moment to breathe through the mask that cold night air. 

Was he getting old? He'd really struggled to climb up the tower this time; He'd already tired out in the middle of it. He'd just hanged there, halfway up the tallest place in the kingdom, several feet away but only a few seconds away from imminent doom, trying to recover his breath. Maybe he should let his arms rest for a while and sneak through some of the windows like he used to. Fuck he was tired.

But his lover was waiting for him on the finish line, and that would always be enough motivation for him to keep climbing.

After breathing a bit he carefully knocked on the doors, pushing one open and stepping in with caution, eyes examining the room for his lover. Oof. Keith sure loved hide and sneak behind your boyfriend games. It didn't help the dark skinned boy's paranoia of getting caught by the guards, but trying to find Keith was kinda thrilling. Gave him that danger adrenaline he also loved.

"Babe?" He whispered, looking behind the courtains. Nope. "Hm. Where's my number one champion, defender of justice hiding?"

Keith had to admit, it was difficult to keep his laughter in at that title. Defender of justice. It had a nice ring to it. Nonetheless, he stayed quiet, hidden in the shadows behind the piano, watching as his lover made his way deeper into the room. Keith had hidden a few pillows beneath the blankets, and in the darkness it almost looked like the Prince slept peacefully in his bed. 

Lance must have thought so too, for he approached the form with a smile, almost visible through the dark mask. When Keith was sure the boy wouldn't see him, he moved. He'd mastered the art of standing so still, he'd become nearly invisible to the human eye in the half dark. His socks didn't make any noise on the soft carpet as he approached the hunter, step by step, making sure Lance didn't look or turn around suddenly. 

When he got close enough to touch him, he leaned in close, lay his hands on Lance's hips and whispered in his ear. "Good evening, baby," he spoke, chuckling when Lance nearly jumped in the air. This game of theirs always amused him, the way he could fool Lance so easily and sneak up on him. Of course, the odds weren't very fair to begin with, but he had a feeling Lance didn't mind. 

Already in his nightgown, he twisted around Lance, grabbed his hands and pulled him to the bed. "I missed you today, a lot," he breathed, sitting down and looking up at his boyfriend.

His eyes narrowed and he stood back up, before he'd really gotten comfortable. Pulling Lance's mask down, he brushed a thumb over his pale face, seeing his chest still heave with exertion and slight bags under his eyes. Lance never looked like this, had something happened? 

"Lance, you look tired. Are you okay?" Without waiting for an answer, he pulled the boy's cloak off and draped it over a chair, also getting rid of the belt and gloves while giving Lance time to catch his breath. "Have you eaten well today? I could ask a maid to bring me some food." 

Cradling Lance's face again, he looked deep into his eyes, asking him to be honest. Lance had a tendency to play his own problems and hurt off as nothing, but Keith needed to take care of him, especially if something was wrong.

Hunk had also asked the hunter the same question. Was he that obvious? Though Keith's surprise attack had sure shaken him awake, in a good way. Ah, he'd missed him so much as well; 

His many chores and places to be always kept him busy, they could manage to distract his head from the prince a little, but he couldn't help craving his hand on his and his vanilla scent and his goddamn hot voice and- everything would be so much better, always, if Keith was by his side. And now he was, sweet and gentle as always, helping him get comfortable, concerned for his diet. 

He leaned onto his warm hands and looked fondly into his violet gaze, getting so lost he felt he could fall asleep there and then. His prince was so caring... "...I love you," his heart murmured without warning as he pulled Keith to him, surrounding his arms around his waist. What was the question again? Oh right- him. 

"Thanks, but I'm good." He hadn't exactly had the healthiest meal though. Between hunting, dragging and skinning the animals, showering to get rid of the dirt and blood and attending to the royal dinner in time, he barely got enough minutes to eat something light. Which wasn't near the amount his body required, considering the tons and tons of energy he had to use daily. But he was used to it, there were seasons where food and prey truly lacked, so this shouldn't be a problem. He was lucky he could have three meals a day.

"I'm just tired, it's been a long day." Or week, or month, or year. It had been a while since he last took a proper rest, but that was the pace the castle always held. Maybe even faster now due to the wedding and- "Lotor!" he remembered, easily pushing all of his stuff aside to focus on the important. Plus he didn't want Keith to worry when there was no need. He was fine. Even more when his prince worked as his energy boost. 

"Keith, I'm so so proud and happy for you! You finally kicked his ass! You did it!!" He congratulated him with a wide smile and excited eyes, Lance pulling him up and spinning around the room with him in total glee. "My strong, swift, badass, samurai prince! I've always known he was no match. You're too amazing!" He praised him with honesty, stopping the spinning and putting him down. 

Okay, he'd spun too much. His body craved sleep and he could feel himself slightly unsteady. He didn't let it show, however, but sat down on the bed with his lover instead, the same excitement in him still present. "Was there blood? How did it go down? Did you leave many bruises? Tell me everything." he gave his hands a light squeeze, insisting like a curious little kid, or a very proud mom. 

"...And why now?" Again, Keith had always been capable, but just now he took that next step, which was what Lance was most proud of.

Keith chuckled at Lance's excitement. He'd known Lance would like what went down this morning, but he seemed even more excited about it than Keith himself. "Shh, calm down," he said with a smile, steadying himself after the intense spinning. 

The longer Keith spent with Lance, the more he could see when his body wasn't in top condition. Besides, the way Lance looked right now, only a blind person wouldn't see how beaten down he was. Keith lay a hand on the strong shoulder, making sure he stayed seated, and proceeded to unbutton Lance's shirt, one by one. 

"Yes, I beat him. We trained together this morning, and I finally bested him, both by sword and without." He pulled Lance's shirt from his shoulders and draped it over a chair, on top of the heavy, black cloak. Kneeling down, he pulled Lance's boots off slowly, making sure to stay gentle and not hurt his lover. 

"I... I've been trying to beat him for years, and now I finally... Did it. And yes, there was blood, but it was mine. But don't worry, I left plenty of bruises on him too." He chuckled as he popped open Lance's belt, pulling it off and continuing with his pants. Sure, it might take longer to dress in the morning if Lance slept in his underwear, but he could tell his boyfriend needed a proper night's rest right now, and Keith would provide. 

"I actually hit him in his.. Uhm, manly goods. And eventually, I managed to work him to the ground and choke him. Technically, I didn't win. He never yielded." Keith looked down for a moment, eyes narrowing. It stills truck him as odd, that the other Prince would rather die than loose. He was lucky Keith had spared him. Or unlucky, depended on how you looked at it. 

Once Lance's clothes filled the chair completely, Keith pushed him back on the bed and pulled the blankets over his lover. He himself made his way around the bed to crawl in on the other side, after dimming the lights, getting close to Lance. 

Why now? Why had he defeated Lotor now, after all those years? Keith leaned up on one elbow, looking at Lance with love in his eyes. He knew exactly why he'd been able to defeat Lotor. "I did it for you," he whispered. "I beat him for you. After what he did, how he made you feel.. I couldn't let him get away with it. I accepted his challenge out of anger, and I defeated him for love. For you. Even if he didn't know it, I had to defend you." 

He smiled and brushed a hand over Lance's perfect, smooth cheek. "I would do anything for you, baby. Now sleep, you look exhausted." The prince pressed his lips to Lance's forehead, meeting his eyes again. He couldn't resist the bright lure of those full, desirable lips, and Keith lowered his face again to kiss Lance, slowly, sweetly. "Goodnight, my love," he breathed once he pulled away.

Lance still had in mind what the prince had mentioned about the blood. How dare Lotor make his lover bleed. Smh. But since Keith did give him quite a hit it was kinda fair. Prince Lotor never yielded... Was that supposed to mean he'd rather die than give up? Good lord was he ok? 

His tired mind wasn't one hundred percent conscious of the prince taking off his clothes, but he didn't oppose. Keith was being quite the gentleman right now, and Lance sure enjoyed it. Very considerate of him. 

And then he confirmed what Lance's mind suggested before; Keith had done it for him. Of course it'd been better if the prince took the initiative himself, without the revenge behind, but it worked. And... It was also kinda romantic, what Keith said. How he said it. It made him feel feelings. 

He smiled at the kisses, blushing slightly with love flowing within. "My brave prince charming, what would I do without you," he chuckled, letting his head rest on the soft pillow. "...Thank you." Maybe that meant Lotor wouldn't bother him any time soon, given the state he was in and the thin ice he was stepping in. Lance was truly, truly grateful. 

His eyelids felt heavy as they closed on their own, pulling him to sleep against his will. "You outdid yourself today, you also deserve some rest. C'mere." He yawned, lifting an arm so the prince would snuggle close to spoon him, his arms nicely wrapped around his waist, "Night, amor," he whispered after giving a kiss to his head.

Keith hummed, pressing himself deeper into Lance's embrace. This. This was everything he needed. Lance's arms around him, every night for the rest of his life. It gave him an inimitable sense of safety, of comfort. All of that would be ripped away in a mere four days. 

So many nights ago, Lance had promised him he'd be there, after the wedding, to comfort him. But how would he do that when Keith's room was occupied by another man? And not just any other man, but the man both of them shared a hatred for? 

Keith shivered, and pulled Lance's hand to his lips, holding it there for safety. He knew he'd always love Lance, that he'd always be happy to be with him, but not being able to fall asleep in his arms at night? How long could he survive that? They could do this. They'd find some other way, some other place to be together. Together forever, with his Lance. 

"I love you," he whispered, knowing Lance was long gone. Still holding his hand, sleep slowly pulled him away, into the dark unknown, a dreamless night.

...........................

Meanwhile, somewhere in the castle halls, another prince with disheveled hair roamed without north, sliding down the wall and pulling his knees to his chest. It really hurt, all of the slaps and opened bruises on his arms and back. It'd felt as if he was being skinned alive. 

He wasn't a kid anymore, and yet? He couldn't help but hope Queen Krolia would come looking for him and cheer him up, hold him in her arms and treat his wounds, heal him on the outside and inside. He pushed back the thought, fearing the event from this afternoon had made his body more susceptible to crying, and hid on his arms to control the rest of his emotions.

"Your highness." A feminine voice startled him. No one should be around at that hour, and the guards shouldn't patrol that area within fifteen minutes. The albino slowly looked up, finding the long blond ponytails and, even higher, the shimmering purplish eyes of his servant. 

Romelle had always hated him, how he treated her, and the prince knew. She'd been with him since he was sixteen, and he'd long exploited her like a slave. Lotor wouldn't be surprised now, if she made fun of the pathetic view he'd given off all day. Not like he was in the mood to tell her off. No, right now he wasn't better than a slave. He felt powerless, meaningless. 

"You reap what you sow," she told him coldly, looking down at him with severity. Lotor shrunk. Deep down he knew she was right, but he didn't have a say in the matter.

And then the servant's cold gaze flashed with pity, maybe understanding, like she could read what the prince was thinking without him saying a word. Like one would do with a little kid. She sighed, offering a hand to help him up. "It's late. Allow me to treat those wounds, your magnificence."

Lotor didn't understand. He hadn't done anything for her to be this compassionate, and yet there she was, offering him help. It kind of reminded him to Keith's nonsense apology. He'd been above them all of his life. He really couldn't comprehend it.

But he could barely move without feeling pain, so he took her hand.


	42. Lance McClain's Day Off

Cold. That's the only thing Lance felt. It was dark and cold, and it got colder by the minute. 

He opened his eyes to a snow storm in the forest, him in the open, holding something in his arms. Something even colder. It was Keith. There was no cave, no fire. The snow began to cover his feet and his body became numb, it shivering nonstop to provide some warmth, but the brunette couldn't feel anything. 

He looked at Keith once more, just to find he'd began to literally freeze, his exposed skin being covered with frost and ice. He didn't respond. Lance desperatedly tried to call out, to wake him up, but no voice came out, as his body gave up on him. It was cold, and he wouldn't be able to do anything as he watched his lover freeze to death. He was uncapable of protecting him, saving him. He felt so, so sorry.

Morning came with the arrival of a blue falcon flying across the room, following her routine of waking up her sleepy-head master. This time she landed on his right shoulder, chirping and nuzzling his cheek afterwards. But she gained no response. Not even a sleepy growl, which was strange. 

She then decided to analyze her human in detail; Feeling where she stood, she could tell his heartbeat was fast and interrupted by his short panting, low but noticeable. He was also shivering, but the room wasn't exactly hot. In fact? He was sweating a lot, and his body temperature was elevated. Was he in pain? She assumed he was. Being trained to ask for help to the nearest comrade, she bent down and repeatedly pulled his mate's coal hair, aiming to wake him up.

Keith had been dozing in and out of sleep for a while now, relaxing in the warm embrace behind him. Very warm, actually. When something pulled his hair, he scrunged his face up and pulled Lance's arms closer around him. "Five more minutes, babe," he mumbled. Wait, why would Lance pull his hair? 

He rolled over, the gown sticking to his back with sweat. Sweat? He wasn't thát hot. "Lance?" he muttered, smacking his lips and opening his eyes properly. First he saw Blue, standing on her master's shoulder, looking worried and picking at Keith's hair. "Shh, I'm awake. I'm awake, Blue." If that was possible, the bird would have raised an eyebrow at him, but instead she flew away to sit on the piano, sharp eyes fixed on the two boys in bed. 

The Prince looked at his boyfriend, and immediately worry took hold of his heart. Lance didn't look good. His gleaming chest soaked the sheets around him, face nearly as pale as Keith's, with red flushed cheeks, obviously overheating and yet shivering in cold. Lance was sick. 

Keith quickly threw the sheets off of both of them, mind spinning in fears and possibilities. What was wrong? He took both hands to Lance's contorted face, holding him to face him. "Lance?" he said, gently at first. When his boyfriend didn't react, he repeated himself, louder this time, nearly yelling. He brushed the brown curls from Lance's sweaty forehead, blowing cool air onto it. 

"Lancey, come on. Please wake up. I don't know..." He sighed out deeply, trying to calm himself. He had no idea what to do. He couldn't call for help, for a doctor, because they would more likely kill Lance than help him. He'd never had any lessons about medicine. He knew just enough to be able to tell Lance had a fever, judging from his shivering and sweating. But how bad it was? What to do? Keith had no idea.

Okay, calm down. Make a plan. First, he needed to get Lance back to consciousness. Maybe his boyfriend knew what to do. He needed to make sure no one came in, that no one caught them. And then... Keith felt like cooling his boyfriend down with fresh air and ice, but whether that was the right call... He couldn't be sure. As long as the boy breathed, they would be okay. As long as his heart beat, Keith could save him. 

Wiping his hands over Lance's forehead again to wipe away the sweat, he plead one more time. "Lance, love, please wake up. Open your eyes, for me."

So cold. Lance had been stuck in a nightmare loop for hours, reviving the near-death experience he'd had with his lover in their journey. Except this time he actually saw Keith die in his arms. So when he heard his voice in the distance, outside the box he was trapped in, his heart felt relieved; It was a dream. 

"Mm..." He struggled to flutter his eyes open - feeling he hadn't rested at all - and found a pair of violet eyes staring at him with worry. Why? Had he muttered something while asleep? "Mmorning..." he slurred, sitting up and instantly feeling a throbbing pain on his head. Okay, odd. 

He heard a chirping coming from the other side of the room, finding Blue uneasingly flapping her wings towards him. He hadn't heard her come in. "Did I... Oversleep...?" he asked with confusion, tired eyes widening. "Oh fuck did I?" Why else would they both be worried? Maybe he slept too much and missed his chance to climb down the tower? Oh god what if he did? Maybe it wasn't too late yet? 

Not awaiting for an answer he got to his feet, but once he tried getting up he felt incredibly dizzy, falling to the bed again. He panted in exhaustion at the effort, taking a hand to his forehead. What was happening? And why was it so cold in there? Winter was over? But he couldn't stop shivering. His body felt... Odd. Heavy. And fuck his head was killing him. But as every person with a fever ever, his mind couldn't put two and two together, so he was just confusion. Much confusion.

"I... It's nothing. I'm just tired. It's so cold I couldn't catch much sleep." He didn't want Keith to worry over a silly headache. Plus, he had to get going before it was too late. Climb down this tall ass tower. Feeling like shit. No biggie. No need to overreact. He could do just fine. He was alright. Once more he forced himself to stand up, unsteady on his feet, clinging to the bedpost when he was about to fall. His mind spun. 

He closed his eyes to try making it stop, feeling panic overflow inside of him; what if he couldn't get out of there? Climbing down required lots of strenght and concentration, and right now he had none of that. He couldn't remember a time he'd felt this tired. He could die trying to get out. But if he stayed, he would get caught and get Keith in trouble, and he would die nonetheless. He couldn't stay. He had to try. He had to. He let go of the bedpost and attempted to take one step. Attempted, because right now, gravity was too much for him.

Keith had seen it coming from the moment Lance stood up, swaying and all. He'd seen it coming, so he rushed off the bed, sliding to his knees just in time to catch the heavy, hot body. 

"Idiot," he muttered, making sure his lover hadn't hurt himself. "You're sick, Lance. It's not cold, you're sweating like crazy, overheating. Come here." He heaved the boy into his arms and pushed up from the floor, groaning in exertion. His boyfriend wasn't as heavy as he looked, but the lanky limbs still held enough muscle to drag on Keith's sore body. 

He lifted Lance up on his bed again, on top of the soaked sheets, and bent over him, eyes stern and making sure he stayed down. "You can't climb down the tower like this, Lance. You'll kill yourself." He pursed his lips, considering other options. He couldn't sneak the boy out of his room, guards littered the hallways and Lance only had his thieves' outfit to wear. No other way to escape would bring Lance to safety in this state. For God's sake, the boy could barely walk. 

"You'll have to stay here," Keith muttered, more to himself than Lance, brushing his hand over the wet skin. "God, you look horrible. Let me just-" He hurried off to the bathroom, coming back a minute later with a wet towel, immediately starting to clear away the heat. "You can stay here, Lance. I'll take care of everything."

Frowning as he worked, another problem came to mind. His room got cleaned everyday at noon, the floor wiped and the dirty clothes washed, everything put back neatly. While the cleaning crew may not be the smartest, they would definitely notice a strange boy laying in the prince's bed. And perhaps the worst part of all, Keith couldn't stay here all day to take care of Lance. If he tried to fake an illness, he'd get taken away to the medical quarters. His father would never permit him to stay in here all day, especially not with the hundreds of wedding things that still needed taking care of. He'd have to figure something out, lock his room or maybe hide Lance somewhere. 

"I'll take care of you," he whispered again, kneeling down on the bed and pulled Lance's upper body forward to clean his back. When he lay the boy back on the sheets, he finally met his red rimmed eyes. "Lance? What do I do? What do you need?" After all, Lance knew more about fevers than him, even if he might not be very clear minded at the moment.

The apparently sick boy stared at the prince for a moment, throwing his head back at the pillow and sighing. God, this was terrible. Ok, maybe, just maybe, he had a fever. Maybe. Maybe it was his own mind making him sweat because it thought it was cold when it wasn't, due to the fever. It was also working very slowly. Hell, he didn't even feel himself falling to the floor until he was in Keith's arms. Brain lag. 

'You'll kill yourself.' That sure didn't sound appetising, but shit, there was no way he could stay? Didn't Keith have maids that came in to clean every day? And Keith had places to be in, being the prince and all. That reminded him, he had work today. He couldn't miss on that. Okay, maybe one of his comrades could cover up for him. But his family would be worried if he didn't return home? ...Okay, maybe they could guess he was with Keith slash his love interest, Rachel was that sneaky. 

But he still couldn't stay, he didn't... Want to be a burden. Don't take it the wrong way, Keith was being very sweet - and also slightly threatening -, but it wouldn't be the first time Lance refused to be taken care of. He didn't like it. He always felt he was bothering the other person just for existing. It had already gone wrong, when Keith had tried to take care of his wounds in the forest. Lance always felt awkward... And a burden.

Unable to hide his emotions completely like he would if he wasn't sick, he looked to the side and frowned, mad at himself. He was taking too long to reply. He was already screwing this up. Good work, Lance. "I..." What he needed? He really didn't want to ask for too much- if anything at all. But... Keith was quite scary right now. He wouldn't take shit. What his mother did when any of them had fevers... 

"First, to lower my body temperature. It's sky high right now, so a bath should do. The water can't be too cold though or I might have a temperature shock." He explained by memory. "Besides that, good rest with cold towels or ice should do the trick. There's also painkiller herbs in the garden that might reduce the headache. But it's mainly cold and rest." He looked at his lover again, laying an arm over his throbbing head. "..." 

Ah. Right now he was being a true nuisance. Keith already had tons of things to worry about, to lift the weight of taking care of him. He really, really despised himself. "But I.. I can do it myself. You don't need to worry. I don't wanna bother you," he trembled, covering his eyes with his arm. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't- "I'm sorry..." Welp. That came out even more pitiful than intended.

Funny, how you could feel two opposing emotions at the same time. Because while Lance's pained, sickly tone made Keith worry for him, feel pity and heartache and the need to take care of him, his words only inspired anger. 

"You don't want to bother me?" he asked incredulously. He knew Lance was sick, and this was not the time to get mad at him, but... "Christ, Lance. I'm your boyfriend. You're allowed to bother me, to worry me, and there's nothing to be sorry for." Why wouldn't Lance just accept some help? To be honest, that may be a little hypocritical coming from Keith, but the Prince had really been making progress in accepting help. Did Lance really think he had to do it all alone? 

At least his boyfriend had explained some helpful tips, before he'd gone all dramatic I-can-do-it-myself. He made his way back into the bathroom, checking the clock to see he had about twenty minutes before people would get suspicious. He started the water, not warm, but not too cold either, and let the tub fill slowly. He'd need to go down to the kitchens to get ice, but at least he could lower Lance's temperature a little bit like this. 

Back in his bedroom, the air seemed to have gotten even hotter in those few seconds. In Lance's eyes, beyond the pain, he could still see the resistance to Keith's help, and the Prince couldn't have that. He pressed his lips to the tan temple, and looked him sternly in the eyes. "I am taking care of you, Lance. Whether you like it or not, I'll do whatever I can to help you, to make you better. It'll be a lot easier if you let me."

Without waiting for an answer, he scooped the boy up in his arms, bridal style, carrying him into the bathroom, and lowered him carefully into the half full tub, underwear and all. The took a towel from the cabinet, dipped it in the water, and started stroking the cloth over Lance's neck and chest, hopefully cooling him down. "How is this, baby?" he asked, once he was daily certain the boy wouldn't fight him for control again. At least in this situation, he could easily overpower his boyfriend, should the need arise. 

"I'll hide you in my room, in the closet. There should be some unused blankets back there from which I can build you a nest. You need to rest. I bet you're only sick because of over-exhaustion, of overworking. I'll go down to get you ice and painkillers, and be back after breakfast, as soon as I can. Maybe, if he ran fast enough, he'd be able to sneak away before his lessons. Deep down, the Prince knew that wasn't likely. If anyone saw him running, saw him taking medication with him, they'd discover about Lance. He had to be careful.

Lance was still taken aback by the prince's attitude towards his apology. Was he angry? Why? Hell, he had no right to be angry at him because he felt guilty. The hunter had had to grow up fast to take care of himself, to take care of his mother and family, to provide for them. He lost the privilege to be taken care of when Rosa went ill. He had to man up, according to his father. To toughen up and don't cry over silly things, to work, even if he was tired. Everyone was tired, and everyone had their own problems to deal with. And it were countless times where he'd try to open up and vent, only to be called intense, or annoying, or dramatic, or sensitive, by none other than his current romantic interest. He'd eventually learned the less he weighed in other's shoulders, the less they would dislike him.

But Keith clearly hadn't liked he'd tried to refuse his help. Lance guessed he wouldn't be happy if Keith refused his help like he'd done in the past, it even hurt sometimes, but he wasn't Keith. It wasn't the same. It was just... Complicated. But then his prince was softer. Even if he was stern and menacing, the meaning behind his words was sincere concern and longing to help. How could Lance refuse him that? And then he was suddenly in Keith's arms.  
Omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omg omG.

Yeah, he was not ready for that. He didn't even know Keith could do that. Sure, his boyfriend was strong, but Lance was taller, and heavier. He didn't know Keith was that strong. He suddenly looked bigger, cooler and grizzled. Omg. His already flushed face had flushed twice as red from that, which wasn't good for his fever. Luckly the water did it's work and fuck it was cold. It really wasn't as cold as his mind thought, and he knew, but he was boiling and already craved for fire hot water. He pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them, shivering as Keith took care of him, and managed to nod at his question. 

Hide him in the closet. Hah. This would be a perfect time to make a gay joke, if he wasn't dying. He pressed his forehead against his arms while Keith spoke, doubting he'd have enough free time to be back that soon. But it was alright. He could take it. "...Don't worry. No need to rush, I won't go anywhere." He smiled, leaning sideways to look at him. 

"And don't mix up the herbs or you might drug me," he chuckled. Now that he got a closer look... Yeah. Keith was just worried. He had all the right to be, he'd said he looked horrible - which was difficult -, so Lance imagined he was pale and red with baggy eyes and an overall dead look. Oof. "See, this is why Sleep Day ain't a bad idea." Better crack some jokes so Keith would see he wasn't that bad, even if his head kept stabbing him. He'd been much worse. 

His body gradually stopped shaking, and Lance didn't feel as cold anymore. "...I'm sorry," he apologized again, for a different reason this time. "I'm not... Used to having to rely on people. I know you only want to help me because... Because you love me. I'm not used to that either." He took his hand to his lips, pressing a long kiss to his knuckles. "...I'll try not to refuse your help, or everything that you do for me. I appreciate it, a lot." He smiled at his prince lovingly, before closing his eyes due to the pain. "I consider myself very, very lucky to have you, Keith."

Keith halted his hurried movements for a bit, to meet Lance's eyes and gaze at him lovingly. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Lance. It's okay to have problems with things, especially things you're not used to. But yes, I'm here to help you, because I love you. And I will help you, regardless of whether you accept it or not." He wiped the wet towel over Lance's forehead, then draped it over his neck. 

"I can hide you for now, but if it gets any worse..." He could see it in each and every one of Lance's movements, he felt horrible. "I'll get you to a doctor, somehow, or I'll get you home. I'll take care of you, Lance." He kissed him gently, on the lips, before backing off and looking at the clock again. He should hurry. 

Making his way over to the wardrobe, he decided on a nice space beneath his travelling cloaks. If he positioned them right, no one would see the boy hidden behind the fabric, and Lance would have plenty of room to sleep out his sickness. The Prince reached up high, standing on his toes, and could just reach the tip of a pile of thick winter blankets, which all came tumbling down as he pulled, covering him completely. That would work. 

A few minutes later, he'd constructed a nice bed for his lover, soft enough not to hurt him and big enough to let him stretch out. He'd kept one blanket aside in case the boy was cold, and filled two large pitchers with water, along a cup, in case Lance got thirsty. Keith would need to get him something to eat later, though he doubted Lance would be hungry. He also gathering all of Lance's things, his clothes and tools, and tied them into a bundle to hide it in an unused drawer.

When he walked back into the bathroom, it almost looked as if the boy was asleep. He stroked his forehead softly, feeling sorry for having to interrupt his finally peaceful state. "Lancey?" he breathed. "I need to get you in there." He wished Lance could go there by himself in an hour or two, but the fever had stolen Lance's strength. "I'm sorry. I'll get you everything you need soon. He wrapped his arms around Lance's back and knees, and pulled him out of the tub, letting the wet body soak his nightgown. He would definitely be late to his lessons, but right now he needed to make sure Lance was as comfortable as he could be. 

He set him on the floor, drying him off thoroughly, deciding not to dress him for it would only make him overheat more. He lifted the boy again, all the way into the wardrobe, setting him down in the improvised bed, hoping it was comfortable enough for his precious. The lack of time weighed down on him as he knelt by Lance's side, adjusting his pillows and making sure he could reach the water from where he lay.

"I need you to rest, okay? I'll be back in a few hours, two at most, with everything you need. And don't worry, I'll ask the gardener for the right herbs. He tends not to ask any questions, since I've... Needed them before. All you need to do is sleep, let your body cool down, drink plenty of water, and wait for me. They'll come to clean my room, and they'll come into this wardrobe as well, to collect my dirty laundry and put clean clothes back." 

He looked at Lance sternly, making sure the boy remembered his next words, for his life depended on it. "When you hear them come into my room, you need to be quiet. They won't find you, but if you make any noise... You know how screwed we are if they find you here." He pressed another kiss to Lance's forehead, already feeling a new layer of sweat forming. 

The Prince quickly got a few new towels, soaked them in the coldest water his tap would supply, and lay them by Lance's side, dabbing at his body with one. How could he leave Lance like this? "You'll be okay, right?" he asked unsurely. If anything happened to Lance, anything he could have prevented, Keith didn't know how he would live with himself.

The hunter felt... High. He was pretty much conscious about his surroundings and what Keith was saying, yes, but the struggle to keep that focus was real. He kept missing bits of what was happening, one moment he was at the bathtub and the other he was in his boyfriend's arms, and now he was in the soft nest he'd made for him. 

Ah. This actually wasn't so bad, putting his exploding head aside. It was usually him who took care of the prince. Was this how it felt like? Warm and loving? Then again that's how Keith always made him feel. Hm. Yeah, maybe he was high, on Keith's affection. He stared at him with sleepy blue eyes, repeating his words in his mind; Be quiet. That was easy, he knew all about being sneaky in the shadows.

The only problem could be if he didn't notice and slept through it, if he made any noises in his sleep. He would have to be awake around noon. Ok, no problem. He had one job.

He closed his eyes for a minute as Keith dabbed the cold towel through his body, opening them again at the question and answering with a weak smile. "..Yeah, of course. I'm good," he replied calmly to ease at least part of his worries. "I'm invincible, remember? It's gonna take more than a simple fever for you to get rid of me." He chuckled, even if laughing increased the pain on his head. 

With his index finger he motioned Keith to come closer and placed a hand on his cheek, stroking it gently. "I'll be good... Thanks to you. Gracias, amor." He pressed a long kiss to his soft lips and finally let him go. "Don't worry too much and do everything you have to do. No pressure." Sure, it would be tough without any painkillers, but he had everything else right there; water, cold, a comfy bed and a dark place to rest in. And Keith kept calling him Lancey, which made everything better.

...The only thing actually missing would be Keith. Being sick alone was... But Lance couldn't be that selfish. He'd have to be patient and maybe his prince could spend some time with him later. He was strong and independent, he could take this. "Go, get ready and do your thing. You've got this." A cheeky smirk grew on his lips. "That was very hot by the way, the way you lift me. My strong, cool, grizzled man~" He contained his laughter.

Keith chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Honey, you're drunk on fever. You don't know what you're saying." Still, Lance's words made him smile fondly, pressing another kiss to his lips, dabbing his body as long as he could. He wished he could stay here and care for his lover all day long, all week long if necessary, until Lance got better. But... He couldn't. He needed to keep up appearances to keep both of them alive. 

He wrapped Lance's hand around one towel, and lay another one over his neck and collarbone. "I'll be back, okay? Just rest, and stay quiet." He bit his lip, forcing himself to get up and making sure the heavy cloaks covered all of Lance's little hideout. His teacher would be waiting for him. "I love you, baby," he spoke, grabbing clean clothes ,taking small steps backwards out of the room. "Be careful," he said. "And get better." 

And then he closed the door, leaning his head against it. Shit. He was late. No time to wash, he threw his wet nightgown in a corner and shot into daytime clothes, brushing his teeth before running out of the room. No time for non essential things, so he skipped breakfast and ran straight to his classroom. Luckily, he didn't run into anyone, since running wasn't technically allowed for a Prince. 

His teacher... Well, he was furious. Keith endured the angry rant about the importance of punctuality, and the note that this mistake would be reported to the king. Keith really couldn't care less at the moment, his mind stuck in the dark room with Lance, feeling as if the boy slowly slipped away, out of consciousness, and out of his reach. That Keith needed to get to him before it was too late. He needed to get ice, to get medicine, to take care of him. Lance was probably overheating again, shivering on that small nest, maybe crying out for help. Keith tapped his fingers against the desk nervously, eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Lance needed help. His hunter, his love, was sick, and he needed-

"Prince Yorak!"

Keith's eyes snapped up, and onto his very annoyed tutor. Not many people could talk to the prince like that, but as a teacher, the king had given him certain rights. And since the man worked for Keith's father, he out ranked him during their lessons. Besides, the tutor had never had any issues with telling King Zarkon all about Keith's failures, and that fear had always kept him in line. But right now, his worry for Lance exceeded the worry for what his father might do to him, by far. 

So he nodded and promised to pay more attention, quickly falling back in a downwards spiral of worry. When his lessons finally finished, he ran to the kitchens. He didn't get very far, walking into the queen of Olkarion, who invited him for lunch with her family, down in the gardens. No! Keith screamed in his head. "Yes, thank you," he said out loud. Fuck. He couldn't reasonably refuse, it would be rude and people would ask questions, but he needed to get to Lance. Soon. After lunch, he promised himself. Immediately after lunch.

....

"The sun sure shines bright lately. You will have a good weather on your wedding day, young Prince," Queen Colleen said with a casual smile as a maid filled her glass with some exotic juice. They'd taken a rather small table in the royal gardens, surrounded by beauty and a few taller trees in the area that provided some privacy. 

It was a beautiful day outside, birds singing, flowers blooming. On days like these, kids like Keith should be very happy and excited about their wedding. But of course; this wasn't Olkari. In this traditional kingdom territory was expanded by the union of arranged marriage, a method the Holts saw as outdated and another medium of ancient torture. 

Daibazaal's Prince didn't present as excited either, he appeared rather uneasy. Besides, wasn't Prince Lotor, the kid from last night's dinner, his betrothed? According to the castle they were long time rivals, who had constant arguments and aggressive encounters. They couldn't possibly get together by will. It would be like locking a lion and a tiger in a small cage, barely big enough for the two of them; they would shred each other to pieces.

The Holts also knew King Zarkon, being the careless man he was, probably neglected his son's wellbeing and what was truly best for him. "Katie has told us you've been very kind towards her. We thank you for that." If that was the case and the prince resented his tyrant father in any way, they could not only get information, but perhaps a possible ally. Even if he wasn't aware.

Nonetheless, Queen Colleen was stubborn and unafraid of consequences, she would get him to spill something. "We are also deeply grateful for your invitation, it's still shocking how much you've grown since the last time we saw you." She smiled, rolling the spaghetti on her fork. 

"Prince Lotor has also grown to be quite the... Battle fit. Though he must have more to it, if you chose him." He hadn't chose him. The queen wanted to provoke a reaction, something they could work with, see how much the younger prince agreeded and disagreeded with Zarkon. 

"...Because you chose him, right, Prince Yorak? Do you prefer Prince Yorak or Prince Keith?" she asked kindly.

Though Keith's mind had been stolen by Lance all morning, the queen's questions managed to drag him into that garden. If the mention of the wedding hadn't been enough, her last sentence really hit him. Which name he preferred? "I.. Prince Keith, please," he said, without thinking about it. Sure, it might be a problem if his father heard them calling him Keith, but the sound of his preferred name from the tongues of other royals? Priceless. It really showed how much he'd changed, how far he'd fought free from his father's control. A few months ago, he'd never have let them call him that. He just.. He had no time to be afraid when Lance needed his attention, up there in that tower. 

He forced his head back to the Queen, giving her a polite smile. Had he chosen Lotor? Not in a million years. He cleared his throat. "And as for your other question, it is Daibazaal tradition to marry the most suitable candidate, the one your parents choose for you. It helps strengthen our military power as well as the richness of our culture. My father, King Zarkon, and Queen Honerva agreed that this union of our kingdoms would be benificial to both," Keith said, tone flat and princelike, drumming up the facts of the situation.

"So no, I did not choose him. My father chose for me." He forced himself to keep his tone civil, stopping for a moment to take a bite. "I believe Prince Lotor will be a... Suitable husband. He has plenty of victories to his name, and shows skill in physical and political sense." Too bad the guy was such an ass, Keith added in his mind. 

Well, like Shiro had said, their marriage would be purely political. Feelings weren't necessary for an arranged marriage, and nothing would change between them. They would probably just continue avoiding each other, especially now he'd dealt a devastating blow to the man's self confidence. Lotor would do.. Whatever, and Keith could keep dating Lance, until.. Something. Until they could run away together. Until the king somehow died. Until he found some way to save his kingdom and also be happy with Lance. 

He shook his head almost unnoticeably and adjusted his posture. Not the time to think of escaping, of Lance, of being happy. These people might seem nice, but they were still royals, and they would stab him in the back if they could.

The queen subtly looked over to her husband, King Samuel, and exchanged thoughts with him before looking back at the prince. Threre was a brief moment where he'd seemed to disconnect, to let his guard down. He did not agree. Clearly he had something in his mind that troubled him, either the marriage, or someone else. 

"I see." She took a sip of her juice before talking. "In Olkari we do not approve of those methods." Plain and fearless. "I'm unable to imagine how it would be like if I forced my daughter to stay with someone I chose for the rest of her life." The princess momentarily turned her head, cringing at the thought with her tongue between her teeth. Ew. 

"Regardless, I admire your sense of duty, Prince Keith. You're a vivid image of your mother." The changes in the young prince's face didn't go unnoticed. "Though she was quite rebellious, wasn't she, Sam?" she asked with a smile.

"Oh, definitely. Such brave spirits lack around the castles nowadays. It's getting boring," he chuckled before taking a bite of his lettuce.

"Tell me about it," the princess added without looking at Keith. "It is sad times the progress is facing."

"Now that I mention it, I don't remember Krolia ever agreeded with arranged marriages either." This time she skipped using her royal title, implying they'd been friends. "She didn't agree with most things, but it was tough to change the way things were living in her King's shadows. Though she did what she could." This time she made eye contact with the prince, hiding a smile behind her glass. 

"However... She always put lots of faith in her legacy, knowing it would make a difference someday." She glanced at the king, who took another sip of the glass before putting it down to undo a bracelet in his waist and place it on the table before Keith.

"Queen Krolia gifted it to our oldest son Matthew for his fifth birthday, but he doesn't wear much jewelry anymore," he explained. The bracelet consisted of a black leather braid with gold clasps and a long gold segment in the middle, with a vertical braid pattern on each end. In it, a symbol of protection was carved. "We'd like you to have it."

Keith could barely keep up with the conversation, one shocking statement dropped after another. They opposed arranged marriage. They had known his mother. They supported rebellion. Wait, rebellion? They had to know about the rebellion his father was currently facing, news travelled fast among royals. Did she use those words on purpose? Did it mean anything? He barely had time to thing about it, before the king showed him the bracelet. A gift. From his mother? 

"I.. I couldn't possibly.." He looked from the bracelet to the people around him, who would obviously not take no for an answer. Keith picked it up and studied it closely. "It's beautiful," he breathed, more to himself than the other royals. He let his finger run over the leather, over the engravement. "Its beautiful, thank you. You are too kind, your majesties." He gave them a short bow by nodding his head, and secured the bracelet around his wrist. 

"And.. I believe my mother's legacy will make a difference. I'll make sure it does." Queen Krolia had died, while giving birth to him, with most of her goals unachieved. Keith would change that, he would help his people.

He smiled happily, eating in silence, almost forgetting about Lance. Almost. He should really hurry, get back to his lover, but he also couldn't be rude to the only royals that may support him, if he ever tried to take over the throne from his father. The way they spoke of rebellion, the obvious dislike they had for the king, it made Keith think that they had considered other possibilities just as often as he had. If he had at least one kingdom behind him... 

The thought sounded crazy, even in his own head. Even if he somehow managed to rise up against his father, to find an army and enough resources to fund a war, he would never be able to win. Besides, the costs of war, the many lives that would be lost, Keith would never able to sacrifice all that to take hold of the throne. 

He drank the sweet juice, keeping his eyes fixed on the queen and her husband, their young daughter too preoccupied with her meal. "I do hope you'll enjoy the wedding," he said politely. "Even if you don't agree with arranged unions," he chuckled. "At least the food will be good. If the ceremony turns out to be completely horrifying or boring, we will at least have the cooks to serve us the best meals ever made." That, and Lance, were the only things that kept him from going completely insane at the thought of getting married to Lotor of all people. Well, he still had a few more days of freedom, a few more days to spend with Lance. Lance. Who was currently shivering in his closet, waiting for his Prince to come help him. Keith needed to hurry.

"Of course. That's exactly what we came for," King Samuel replied with laughter, being joined by his wife. "Just joking. Partially. But however the wedding goes on and behind it, we're just glad we had the chance to enjoy this meal with you, Prince Keith." 

The hope of Daibazaal, young blood with fire within. The revolution was inevitable, the rebellion would eventually strike. But if they had Daibazaal's prince by their side, if he inspired his people to rise up for their freedom, if the people knew there was still hope... That's all it took to win.


	43. Fire And Ice

Lance had been quick to give in to his weakened state, falling asleep to those neverending nightmares which one couldn't possibly wake up from. Except the fever made everything feel real, too real. But at least he wasn't cold anymore.

It was hot. Boiling as the flames roared and grew like a monster, swallowing everything on their path; the furniture, the walls, the ceiling, all of the wood in his brother's humble house. The brunette remembered all of it in fresh detail. 

"Luis!" he called out for him with little Nadia in his arms and Sylvio to his side, coughing as he choked. He'd stayed over that day. It was only in the middle of the night when a suffocating feeling in his lungs woke Lance up. The heat and panic didn't allow much clarity in his mind as he tried to reach a room that wasn't being swallowed in flames. The smoke made him blind and breathing painful, and fallen ceiling pieces in flames didn't allow him to reach his brother's room.

All the windows were closed, there was fire everywhere, his crying nephews and his distressed brother and Luisa in the other side of the house almost too much for him to take. He wasn't an adult, there was no way out from their side on the house. 

He didn't understand why there was fire in the first place, was it the witch hunt? Not like it mattered, they would most likely burn alive anyways if he didn't find a way out. Rushing to the still intact kitchen, he started trying to break the window with one of the chairs.

But the fire was quick to catch up, and strange noises started coming from the boiler. And his nephews were exposed.  
So Lance ran to embrace them and shield them from the explosion.

What followed was all a blur. In reality, Lance's dad had managed to break the window from outside and saved them just in time. But Lance was stuck on the moment before they were saved, where he couldn't move, where the only thing he felt was an agonizing pain on his back and a loud ringing bell almost covering his nephew's worried cries.

He'd never felt such pain, before or after. It was excruciating, and he was living it all over again. He whimpered weakly in the closet, overheating once more. But mostly, he really couldn't cope with the headache. It hurt. It really, really hurt.  
Blue stood on the outside of the closet, not finding a way in to reach her human.

Keith knew he'd taken too long. The lunch had dragged on and on, and despite the cheerful mood, he wanted nothing more but to run away. When it finally ended, the clock chimed two o clock, and Keith was close to screaming. His baby, his Lance, needed him. He politely excused himself, thanking them again for the meal and the bracelet, and then hurried to the greenhouse to pick up the herbs Lance needed. After that it was only a short run to the kitchens, where he nearly ran Hunk over in his pleas to get him ice, as much as he had. 

With a bucket of ice in one hand and the medicine stuffed deep in his pocket, he hurried back to his room, fear for Lance forcing his feet to run while feat of being seen made him slow down. Was Lance still okay? Did he get caught by the cleaners? Did he get sicker, or better? He finally pushed open the doors to his bedroom, about four hours later than he'd promised, and rushed to the closed wardrobe door. His bedroom looked freshly cleaned, but he didn't see anyone, which must mean his baby hadn't gotten caught, right? He burst into the room, falling onto his knees and pushing aside the cloaks.

Even before his eyes caught Lance, the temperature in the room told him what was going on. It was hot. Too hot. Lance, once again, lay in a pool of his own sweet, tangled in the sheets, obviously fighting against nightmares. 

"Oh, god. Lance," Keith breathed, taking the damp towels beside Lance and wrapping one around a large block of ice. He pulled off his own doublet and threw it aside, pulled Lance's upper body into his lap, and brushed the hair from his face. "Shh, baby," he muttered at Lance's contorted face. What was he dreaming of? "It's gonna be alright. I'm here. I'm so sorry, Lancey." 

He took the ice, which had already started to soak through the towel, and pressed it to Lance's chest. He didn't leave it in one spot for too long, but pressed it along Lance's shoulders, stomach, neck, and the part of his back he could reach. "Come on, baby. Wake up. I'm here. You'll be okay." Taking a second piece of wrapped ice, he let it slide over Lance's shiny forehead, hoping that would shock his head into waking up.

And so was the shock that his blue eyes widened, as he gasped and almost jumped from the place. But the first thing he found was the gaze of his lover upon him. "Keith! I-" He looked around, but he couldn't find any fire. Had it only been a dream? But it had felt so real... He could still feel it. 

He locked his anxious eyes with the concerned prince again, breathing deeply. "It... I dreamed... of the fire." He swallowed. It had really, really hurt. Maybe that was due to the headache. He should just... Try to forget about it. His nephews were fine, everything was ok. That had happened years ago. He was safe. 

His body noticed the ice placed upon him, nicely cooling him down, so he allowed himself to relax in his boyfriend's comfy lap. And damn it felt nice. He should do this more often, just lay on Keith's lap and enjoy the beautiful view, for the rest of his days; His silky dark locks, his sharp yet soft features, his warm, deep galaxy eyes... Only a smile was missing. He needed to show him he was ok, even if he was in tremendous pain right now. 

"Thank you." He pressed his right hand to the ice on his head to battle the pain, his left one reaching to caress the boy's pale cheek. Keith was back, that was all he ever needed. His presence alone was better than any existing medicine. "My angel." His lips curved into a tiny smile. "How did it go?"

Keith sighed out in relief when Lance responded. He could tell the boy was suffering, but at least he could still interact normally? That was something, at least. He reached backwards into the jacket he'd shed, taking out a small pouch with dried herbs. 

"I'll tell you everything, but first.. Open up, honey." When Lance opened his mouth obediently, Keith shook some of the crushed, dried leaves onto his tongue, knowing it must taste horrible. He saved half of it for later, reaching for water and hoisting Lance higher to allow him to drink properly. "That's my good boy," he muttered, too focused on taking care of Lance to realise what he was saying. 

When the sick boy had swallowed everything, Keith took the ice in his hand again and dabbed at Lance's skin, wanting to cool him down completely. The molten ice left trails of water that slowly dripped down Lance's body, onto the sheets. 

"I'm sorry I took so long. My tutor held me up, and then the Olkari family invited me to lunch. I wish I could have refused, I knew you needed me and-" He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. But.. That lunch was actually really interesting. I think they might be rebels. Like 'against the king' rebels. Like you, and me." He pressed a soft kiss to Lance's forehead, now wet with sweat and water. 

"I know we can't exactly do anything right now, but it's nice to know we've got the backup if we ever need it." He smiled at Lance lovingly, taking back his earlier statement. Even sick, sweaty and overheated, Lance still looked gorgeous. "How are you? Anything I can do against those nightmares? How's the pain?" He couldn't stop touching Lance, reassuring himself that the boy truly was okay, that all his worrying this morning hadn't been necessary. Well, his lover still had a high fever. But he wouldn't die, right?

"Well, I won't die," Lance replied, reading his boyfriend's worried gestures like a book and still smiling at the way Keith talked to him. Soft Keith was one of the best Keiths. Well, all of them were the best, 'cause he loved all of Keith's sides. Keiths. Ok maybe he wasn't entirely in his right mind right now. 

"No need to apologize, I'm ok. And I'm very glad. The Olkari seem like nice people.. Wait-" More rebel royals? Against the King? "That's great!" Maybe the rebellion was greater than they ever thought, and that meant they could actually stand a chance someday! 

'Anti-King'. Hm... Hunk's theory of Pidge and Princess Katie being the same person could actually make some sense in that case... But right now the brunette didn't have enough active braincells to think of such elaborated and straight up crazy possibilities. Back to the questions. 

"It hurts..." Bad. Really bad. It was a constant throbbing pain. "It still hurts, but I'm good, now that you're here. You're a very effective painkiller~" he laughed softly in his love sick sedated state. "And for the nightmares... I'll be better once the medicine works. Maybe... You could sing me something in the meantime?" He smirked. Keith wanted to help, so technically that wasn't considered as taking advantage of his generosity. Keith wanted him to ask. "Please, sweetheart? Mi cariño? Mi todo?" he tried to persuade him, using his all powerful puppy face and a low charming tone on his voice.

Powerless. Keith would always be powerless against that voice. He hadn't sung in ages, and he barely knew any songs that Lance would appreciate right now. He lifted Lance's upper body in his arms and shuffled over into the nest, so he could lean his back against the wall and stroke the ice over Lance's chest. 

"You know I can't refuse you anything, don't you?" he chuckled, brushing a hand through Lance's hair, playing with it absentmindedly. He could stay with Lance until dinner. Sure, he'd had some tasks planned today, but he'd just have to rearrange his scedule to fit it all into the next few days. First, Lance needed to get better. 

"Sing for you," he hummed. And then, certain song came to mind. He wasn't sure what had made him think of it, he'd always hated it before, when studying the music notes for his piano lessons. A French song, about man returning from war, back with his family. It held a deep and dramatic tone, but the overal mood lifted spirits during hard times. He hummed the melody, and started singing. 

The French lyrics spilled out of him without having to think, feeling so natural on his tongue, hoping his lover felt that same bond between them, and even more that his voice somehow distracted him from the pain. He knew Lance didn't speak French, but it didn't matter. The emotion of it was clear. He continued cooling Lance down with ice all the while, getting comfortable with the strange language. "Après la pluie, le beau temps," he sang slowly, every word dedicated to his lover, finishing the song with a smile on his face.

"Satisfied?" he asked, a hint of insecurity in his voice. After all, it wasn't everyday that he sang for his sick boyfriend, and his voice wasn't exactly opera star material. "Do you need anything else? Oh, I almost forgot!" 

He reached to the bucket of ice, and pulled out a small, wrapped package. When he pulled off the paper, gentle wafts of sweet scent excaped the mixture of rice, vegetables in chicken in a small bowl, which Keith held in front of his boyfriend." You should eat this, to get your strength back, and also drink some more. You've been sweating all day, you'll get dehydrated."

To say Lance was lovestruck? Was an understatement. He'd expected Keith to show some kind of resistance, maybe refuse completely, but suddenly... The foreign melody flowed around the closet. Keith was singing. Holy shit Keith was sINGING. And his singing?? It was... It was... Oh lord it was so beautiful. Stunningly so. 

The more he sang, the more shocked Lance was. When it looked like it couldn't be better it got better. His singing was smooth, his voice rough at the edges, his tone controlled and... So relaxing, literally angelic. Although his heart kept hammering in his ribcage with affection, he closed his eyes and only focused on his voice, smiling while his hair was caressed.

There really was no time to think about his fever in this perfect, long lasting moment. It was a foreign language. It took him a while to connect the sounds to French, which was honestly so extra. But it sounded... Pretty. Very pretty. Some did say it was the language of love, and he could sense why. Without knowing what the lyrics meant, Keith's voice sent such a powerful feeling to his core, resonated in his soul... Ah, such an awesome thing to experience. 

Being in such peaceful state, the olive skin boy only opened his eyes at the scent of Hunk's quality food. Ugh. The fever had drained him of any appetite and he felt the impulse of refusing it, but his logical side knew he had to eat something. He wouldn't recover without fuel to restore his strenght. But first things first. 

"...Keith, ohmygod, you have a beautiful voice! And I mean it. I'm- ohmygod that was so amazing..." He placed both hands over his heart, sighing with content. "So rough yet smooth. Such control over the notes, and the feeling... I'm stunned. My angel sings like an angel as well. I'm so lucky..!" 

He smiled to himself, cheeks flushing redder. "You're incredible. I love you~ and I want to hear your singing every day. Is that greedy? I just... You're so amazing all over. I'm so happy." He smiled before slowly sitting up to eat, giving Keith's cheek a kiss when he was near. 

"And thank you for the meal, serenade included. Te amo."

God, Keith wouldn't survive this boy. How could anyone, anyone be this... affectionate? He flushed red at all the praise, at the declarations of love, at Lance calling himself greedy. He wouldn't sing for his boyfriend every day, but it was good to know he had a tool ready for whenever Lance felt sad. The way his lover spoke of his singing almost made Keith believe his voice could solve anything, at least Lance related things. 

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he spoke, biting his lip to stop himself going crazy. Lance was sick, he could not passionately make out with him now. At least the singing seemed to have lifted Lance's spirits. He was happy? Keith had made him happy. His life goal had been achieved for today. Now, he only needed to do the same, everyday, for the rest of eternity. 

"Yo tambien te amo," he murmered, helping Lance sit up properly and taking the spoon from the bowl. "Now eat, at least a little bit." When Lance didn't open his mouth, Keith tilted his head at him, pouting. "Do it for me?" This seemed to work, and Keith gently fed his boyfriend, muttering soft words of affirmation. 

He could tell Lance wasn't in his right mind. Sure, the boy had always been affectionate, but the way he spoke now... Noone could be that excited for a simple song, right? Keith chuckled to himself. Well, beside the Prince himself, of course. When Lance had sung to him, all those weeks ago, in the forest, that had been magical.

He put the bowl down and poured Lance a cup of water, lifting it to his lips. "And I'm the lucky one, my love. I will always be the lucky one, when it comes to you. I walked into Shiro, by the way, when I came out of the kitchens. I told him you were sick, so you don't have to worry about missing work. He'll cover for you." 

He fed Lance another bite, and only put the food aside when Lance couldn't possibly eat more. "Very well, my love. You did so well, even without me. I.. I'm still sorry it took so long. I'll stay with you for a few hours now, we can do whatever you want. If you just want to sleep, that's okay too. I'll watch over you."

Keith would stay. That fact alone made Lance even happier. "Thank you for the meal." Being fed was both embarrassing and... Sweet. Keith sure knew how to play him, he couldn't refuse the food if he talked like that. So manipulative, smh. 

"No need to apologize, for real. It didn't feel that long to me." Sure, it hadn't been pleasant and he'd felt like he was dying, but he wasn't. And that wasn't Keith's fault. "What matters is, you're here now. That's enough." He reassured him sweetly. "And you already help me so much. I know you have things to do, so just... Feel free to go if you have to. I'll survive," he chuckled. 

Deep down a part of him was ready to beg him to stay, reality was, he didn't want to be left alone with his own mind torturing him. He could almost forget it even hurt at all while Keith was around. But he wouldn't be that selfish. Even if... Even if the main reason his boyfriend was busy was because of his wedding's preparations with a man they both disliked. But he forced himself not to think too much about it, it wouldn't be the wisest thing to do for his headache. He had time with him now, focus on that. 

"Thank you for staying. And telling Shiro. See? I'm so lucky to have you, thinking of everything. I'm the lucky one. I will win this competition." He smirked, moving to lay back on the prince's chest. There was so much he'd liked to do with him, but he couldn't if the simple act of shifting from laying down to sitting up felt draining, so subtle cuddling would do. He pressed a kiss to his jaw, stealing one of his arms to gently trail his nails and fingertips over his soft skin, momentarily closing his eyes. 

If he tried hard enough he could picture this same situation - of course, all sickness aside -, just them laying outside, somewhere in the grass with a spring breeze. In a perfect imaginary future, where they didn't have to hide.

"Could you imagine?" he murmured suddenly to his lover. "If... If we didn't need to hide? Or be sneaky, or worry about getting caught." He then took his hand to his lips, kissing each one of his shorter fingers. Pfft. His hand was so cute and delicate, yet strong. Like him. 

He then noticed the bracelet around his waist. Huh, that wasn't there before. He took a closer look to the beautiful design and details on it. That was some fine leather. "This new? It's really pretty," he asked while looking up at Keith. "Totally suits you," he grinned with a flirtatious expression.

Keith chuckled, showing Lance the bracelet. "Thank you. The Olkari gave it to me. Apparently, my mother had gifted it to their youngest son when he was a child, and now they wanted me to have it." He leaned back against the pillows, pulled Lance higher on top of him, grabbing a new block of ice to wrap in a towel and drag over Lance's heated skin. "Don't worry, my sweet. I'm not going anywhere. Those things can wait. There's nowhere I'd rather be than here, with you." 

He hummed softly, the song now stuck in his head, and thinking Lance's question. "Yes, I can imagine," he spoke eventually. "I have imagined, very often. Just you, me, and the world. We could wake up when we wanted to, have breakfast together in bed, go outside and walk hand in hand." He closed his eyes, allowing himself to get dragged into that world of possibility. 

"You could... Take me to the village, to dance. And dance we would. In the middle of the night, in the grand ballroom, we would dance." He brushed his free hand through Lance's curly locks, smiling to himself. "And even if we didn't live in the Castle, the freedom would still be worth it. We could buy a house, somewhere in the edge of the forest. I'd get a job as a... Horse trainer," he said with a chuckle, already seeing it in his head. "And you'd teach me to hunt. You could introduce me to your whole family, and I would be terrified but unable to refuse you because of that smile of yours." Maybe his words could create world pretty enough for Lance to escape to in his sleep, instead of those nightmares. 

"We could make love everywhere," he continued with a grin. "We'd still do it secretly, but not with the danger of death if we get caught, just embarrassment. The things I would do with you if we were allowed," he murmered. "But mostly, I'd kiss you more. There would hardly be moment where your lips aren't pressed to mine, would there?" He playfully brushed his finger over Lance's lip, feeling the soft flesh carefully. "It's my dream, to someday live in that world, baby. Only with you."

As Keith talked, the brunette let his mind drift away to where his words specified. If they... Got married- or if he could at least be in an open relationship with the prince, they wouldn't need to hide; waking up together, walking together, dancing. It had been a while since he last attended to the village night parties, but he didn't feel motivated to go dance with other people who he had no connection instead of Keith. Dancing in the grand ballroom... Yes, he would make that a reality, somehow. 

He hummed with enjoyment at the snow white hand on his hair and kept listening. If they lived elsewhere... Keith would have to leave his crown behind. That meant freedom for him, for both of them, but... Nothing would truly change in Daibazaal. As much as Lance wanted the prince to himself, he knew he was probably the only hope the people had left. And Lance was just one person, this was greater than him. 

He tried to focus on Keith's dream future again to avoid any more depressing thoughts entering his mind and chuckled, picturing Keith in a horse trainer uniform. Very hot. 'My family would love you,' he thought. Sure, they would have a hard time accepting his soulmate was royalty, but they would come around. They could have a big celebration dinner, then go to the village meetings and dance around the fire all night. It was a beautiful sight.

Then Keith talked about being able to have sex freely. And Lance bursted into laughter. "I have such dirty minded boyfriend," he snorted cheekily. Right, he'd taken Keith's virginity like two days ago, and he wasn't planning on giving it back any time soon. He locked his gaze with Keith's, feeling his finger tracing his lip slowly. Well fuck. He really missed kissing him right now, but he should wait until he recovered.

Still, the prince's last statement truly made his cheeks burn bright red. It was so pretty... All of it. And Keith wanted it, a future with him. It made his heartbeat speed up.

"It sounds beautiful, sweetheart. The way we have the same dream is... Damn." He smiled, taking one of the towels to cover his entire face. He never blushed this easily, and the number of times he had today was embarrassing. He blamed it on the fever. When he felt his cheeks cooling down he retired the towel, finding one of Keith's hands in his. 

"...Maybe someday... I'll do everything in my power to reach that dream, and in the meantime, I'll do everything I can to make you happy," he said in a whisper, a secret between them, while he settled nicely on Keith's chest and closed his eyes. Unconsciously, his cinnamon scent began pulling him to sleep, to dream of his dream. "...You're my dream," escaped his lips in a barely audible breath.

Keith smiled lovingly at his boyfriend, making sure he could reach more ice where he lay, and wrapping his arms around Lance. "And you're mine," he whispered at the already sleeping boy. Lance was his dream, everything he wanted for the rest of his life. Aside from saving his kingdom, of course. 

Now that the illusions about his father had finally faded, Keith saw clearer than ever that the kingdom was dying. The powerful, wealthy, noble had everything, and they misused their power to steal from the poor. Worst thing: no laws existed to stop them. Even though the king tried to hide it, he knew the border counties still accepted bribes for turning a blind eye to slavery and such, and that the king still allowed it for the economic benefits it brought. That would be one of the first things Keith would change when he took over. 

Of course, he'd have to convince Lotor to agree, somehow. After today, he'd be surprised if the man didn't murder him the next time they were alone together. A problem for another day. 

For now, he just stared at his sleeping boyfriend, continuing to apply ice and keep his temperature in check, brushing his pale fingers through Lance's short hair. Lance had called him dirty minded. He totally wasn't. Just because they'd had sex didn't mean he'd lost his dignity, right? Just because he'd like to do it again, didn't mean he was desperate. And just because he couldn't stop thinking about Lance's strong body, hanging over him, grabbing him in all the right places and touching him until it hurt, didn't mean he was dirty minded. Nope. Definitely not.

The rest of the afternoon, he allowed himself to consider the possibility of running away with Lance, of packing their bags, taking what they could carry and stealing two horses, to just get out of here. They could be so happy. 

Sure, Lance would miss his family, and Keith would miss Shiro, but that wasn't a problem in his daydream. Everything was perfect. No father to worry about, no kingdom that needed him. Just him, and Lance, happy together. They would ride all the way out of the kingdom, to hide in the Unclaimed Woods, a stretch of forest between Olkarion and the kingdom of Puig, too wide to ever be searched by King Zarkon. They would build a house, sneak into the village without being recognised, live the life Keith had always dreamed of. It seemed so perfect, that it nearly dragged Keith off to sleep as well, but he kept himself awake by taking care of his boyfriend. 

When the Castle clock tower chimed seven o clock, Keith couldn't wait any longer to wake Lance. He needed to be at dinner in an hour, bathed and ready, and wanted to leave Lance behind as comfortably as he could. At least the ice seemed to have worked, since his boyfriend had stopped shivering, and the sweat only dripped from his body now, as opposed to the gushing it had done before. 

"Lancey?" he breathed gently, brushing his fingers over Lance's face. "It's time to wake up. How do you feel?" Keith himself wasn't as comfortable as before. A few hours in this position had started to hurt his back and neck, which got bent at an uncomfortable angle. But he wasn't one to complain, especially with Lance's pretty head against his chest, sleeping like a literal angel.

"Mm..." Lance leaned on the soft fingers on his cheek, slowly opening his eyes at the voice calling him. Lancey. He sure wouldn't get over that coming from Keith's lips. Keith's lips... Mm. "Heya." He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "I feel..." He took a moment to make a self analisis on his current condition. "I feel good... More rested. I had the greatest dream." 

He smiled, taking a hand to the prince's cheek. "I dreamed of you, us in the future. Everything you said. It was lovely." It lingered on his tongue, the taste of freedom, hapiness and love, but not only theirs. The whole kingdom was happy, his family was safe, and everything felt alright wherever they went. He hadn't slept that well in quite some time, and he was sure it was thanks to Keith and his future vision, his angelic voice and his secure embrace. 

"My head doesn't hurt as much anymore either. It's bearable, and overall I feel physically better. Thank you, doctor~" he chuckled with sass, moving to slowly sit up again to allow Keith some space. For someone who had no clue of taking care of people, Keith was surprisingly good. He was caring and gentle and attentive. Lance knew that would make him a good king someday.

He'd said it was time, right? Was he leaving? Well... Now that he wasn't dying he could keep ice on him himself to avoid overheating, and he didn't have a killing headache that produced insane nightmares. "Do what you have to do. I feel much better now, I'll be fine," he reassured him, laying down on the blankets again, still half sleepy. "You are a very comfy pillow." He grinned. "All pillows must be very jealous of you."

Keith watched Lance close, to see if he was lying, but the boy really did look comfortable. It's wasn't like dinner would take all night, Lance could survive an hour or two without him. "That dream sounds amazing," he said, getting up on his knees and stretching, the cracks of his sore back filling the small space. "I wish I had dreams like that." 

He brushed Lance's hair back and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I'm not leaving yet, though. I still need to wash, change, and then I'll come say goodbye to you, my sweet." How could he leave when Lance looked this.. This cuddleable? The sleepy expression, his limp, warm body. Keith would give his entire fortune if he could just spend the rest of the night holding his boyfriend, here in their little nest. Stupid duties and obligations. 

He gave Lance another kiss, got up, and quickly undressed before getting into the tub. Now that he thought about it, Lance and he had never bathed together. That might be a fun idea for later.. When he was done he drained the water, dried himself and picked out a suitable outfit for dinner, tying most of his hair back in a high bun. 

Hurrying back to Lance, he refilled the nearly empty pitchers with water, moved the bucket of ice, which was now almost entirely water, and promised himself he'd get his lover dinner and new ice when he came back. 

"I'll be back around ten, baby," he spoke at Lance's sleepy form, adjusting the pillows for him so he lay more comfortably. "Try to sleep some more, or finish the meal from Hunk." He set the bowl half-full of rice by Lance's side. "I'll be back before you know it. Just.. Stay quiet, and don't get out of here, okay?" He took a deep breath, reassuring himself he had taken care of everything, then gave Lance a kiss goodbye and closed the curtain of cloaks, quickly making his way to dinner.

'Don't get out of here.' Not like he could flee at this hour, there were still plenty of guards around that could see. Hm. The hunter had ended up staying all day in Keith's room... It wouldn't make sense if he left now at night, when he accompanied the prince to sleep. He just hoped his family wouldn't get the wrong idea or got too worried. 

He stretched on the improvised bed, yawning as he reached for a towel and dipped it into the barely-ice-mostly-water bucket to later place it on his head. Then he caught something with the corner of his eye, a movement between the cloaks, and froze. Keith was gone wasn't he? His heart sunk, fearing he might've gotten caught.

But a second after a yellow and black beak showed between the fabric, chirping, blindly looking for Lance. "Oh god little lady you scared me.." he sighed in relief, opening the cloak curtain to let the peregrine falcon through. Looks like she got locked up in the closet with him without the hurried prince noticing. Well, Lance wouldn't neglect company. "You can stay, but you have to be quiet," he whispered, stroking her soft blue stripped feathers. 

His nose caught the scent of the still delicious looking rice, however... He still had no appetite, despite not having eaten much today. Oof. Hopefully Keith wouldn't bring him too much dinner? "Want some?" he offered the remaining ice to Blue, who was quick to start eating. She hunted her own meal most of the times, but Lance guessed her uneasiness regarding his fever had had her close to the tower all day too. 

That made him wonder... She was like him; independent. She could survive on her own and would, if something ever happened to him. But she also shared his same weakness, being dependent of people. And Blue only had him. Not like Lance was thinking of... not being there anytime soon, but should he... Train her to be prepared? Just in case that ever happened?

...Haha... Good one Lance. Nothing's gonna happen to you. Why would you even think that? You're nineteen. You're too young and beautiful to die. Or go to prison. For dating the prince. And for everything you've stolen in the past. Definitely not.

He layed down again sideways, placing the remaining ice in a towel and on his nape to lower his temperature quicker. Where were all this concerns coming from? He'd never been caught before. Why should that ever be any different? Plus, after the wedding he wouldn't be able to come here in the first place... At least not every day...

And the wedding was in three days.

After Blue finished eating she approached her human's chest, laying down near it to comfort him and closing her eyes. He'd been pushing back the wedding thoughts since it got announced and he wouldn't think about it now, he decided, closing his eyes along. Everything would be ok. He wasn't the one getting married to an ass. He had no right to complain. He wouldn't put more stress on his lover. He couldn't let his own worries show. He'd be fine. He needed to be strong, for Keith. 

And strong he would be.  
And so he forced his still aching head to stop overthinking and rest some more, escaping his worries into nothingness. 

Keith had never lived through such an uncomfortable dinner before, not even when he'd first met Lance's mother and had accidentally referenced their sex life. This.. Was worse. Lotor had obviously endured quite the punishment from his mother for getting beaten by Keith, and the albino Prince kept throwing him fury glares in between bites. 

The punishment in itself seemed completely unnecessary to Keith, even more so than the usual physical abuse they both endured. Why would he have to hurt for getting beaten by Keith? Keith had lost their battles too many times to count, and he'd never faced anything for losing in itself. Was the Queen even harsher than his father, or was it because Lotor had never lost before? Either way, Keith didn't blame himself. When he reached for his glass, however, he saw a fire flash in his father's eyes, which immediately caught his own. 

"Yorak," he spoke, in the middle of his conversation with Queen Honerva, who looked from the King to Keith, obviously very insulted. However, the King didn't pay her any attention and continued. "That thing, around your arm." 

Keith pulled his hand close again, as if he'd been caught, and swallowed deeply. "Yes, father," he breathed. 

The Kings eyes narrowed. "Where did you get it?" Keith could tell he'd recognised it, or at least thought he did. Would he get in trouble for taking the bracelet?

Before he could answer, another voice interjected. "It was a gift," Queen Colleen spoke calmly. "From his mother, to our eldest son. We figured it belongs to the young Prince now." She raised an eyebrow at King Zarkon, almost as if daring him to disagree. Keith tensed up at the tone, and the table fell quiet. He'd never heard anyone talk to his father like that. Despite the polite tone, the queen held an undeniable strength in her tone. 

The Prince held his gaze at the table, feeling like his father might snap at any second and tear the bracelet from his wrist. Seconds passed, and nothing happened. His gaze slowly rose, to meet his father's, who only gave him a short nod, with in his eyes... Could that be? Emotion? It faded before Keith could properly see, but perhaps the king still felt something, something small, at the sight of his wife's jewelry. 

The rest of dinner passed fairly quickly, now the tension had died down, and Keith got up to hurry to the kitchens as soon as he could. With his arms full of ice and dinner, and walked back to room, as slowly as he could force himself to. "Hey, my love," he whispered, as soon as he opened the wardrobe door. "Wanna get into bed with me?"

"Sure." The brunette replied, peeking through the cloaks at the voice of his beloved. Turns out he'd only slept half an hour more, probably product of sleeping almost all day with little breaks. So instead of laying there waiting for Keith he'd carefully gone to give himself a proper shower, colder this time. All the dry sweat from earlier had had him uncomfortable for the last couple of hours. No maids would get in at dinner time, still he was cautious all the way and made the less noises possible. He also took the few remaining painkillers to keep the fever in check, washed all the towels, brushed his teeth using his finger as an improvised toothbrush and sent Blue to the royal mews to get some sleep. 

Yeah, he was feeling better. His face was still slightly feverish red and his eyes kept that tired, sleepy appearance, but he'd stopped sweating completely and recovered some of his strenght. He slowly got up and walked out the closet, greeting the prince with a soft kiss on his temple. 

"Good to see you." He smiled at him dearly. Well, it was always good to see him. Perhaps a more appropiate term would be I missed you. The shower was empty without you. Even though they'd never showered together, Keith always smelled like the same soap he'd used. 

"Oh, I took the liberty of using your shower, hope you don't mind." All this time and he still felt unworthy of touching princey things, all far more expensive than himself. He scratched his nape, walking to sit on Keith's large and comfortable bed and patting it to motion the prince to sit as well. "I see you brought me more ice? Thank you, sweetheart," he said gratefully. So caring. "Did dinner go well?" 

Keith couldn't keep his eyes off the other boy. Lance looked better, way better. He could walk, talk, and he'd showered? The sight brought a smile to Keith's face. "I'm glad you feel better," he mused, sitting down beside Lance and carefully examining him for any signs of sickness. The aftereffects of fever still lit Lance's face up red, and his eyelids hung from exhaustion, but he looked overal... Fine. 

"And of course I don't mind you using my shower. It's yours too, remember? I want you to feel as comfortable here as possible, that includes showering." He pressed a subtle kiss to Lance's bare shoulder and got up again. 

"Dinner was fine," he said, making his way into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. "Everyone is a little tense for the upcoming wedding, and Lotor still hates my guts for beating him. I hadn't expected anything else." Shedding his clothes and pulling on a fresh nightgown, he made his way back to Lance. 

"I mostly still worried about you, as always. I'm glad you feel better. If you feel well enough to climb down tomorrow morning, I think.."

He took a deep breath, working up the strength needed to say aloud what he'd been thinking of all day. "I think you should stay at home for a few days. I'll clear it with Shiro, you won't have to work, and you should sleep in your own bed. I.. I blame myself for not seeing how this busy schedule tore your body apart. You got sick, and that was partially my fault." He came closer, cradling Lance's face with his hands. 

"Don't get me wrong, I would rather have you by my side, every night for the rest of my life, but its my turn to take care of you. Besides, I'll be busy until late in the night for the next few days, and I'll have to wake up even earlier with all those preparations I still need to take care of." He sighed and leaned his forehead against Lance's, feeling the residual heat coursing through Lance's, and the guilt that came with it. His fault. 

"Your mother will take care of you, baby. I can't have you falling apart again, you really worried me today." He got one more towel - seeing that Lance had cleaned for him really made his heart burn with love - and took some ice, getting back into bed. "Come here, let's go to sleep. You need more rest, my love."

Lance's previous smile and positive attitude slowly started to crumble. Was Keith just... Kicking him out? After tonight they'd only have two nights to be together before the wedding, two nights. two nights remaining to enjoy each other's company and cuddle to sleep. 

Who knew what would happen after the wedding, if Lance would be able to sleep with his boyfriend ever again, and Keith was... Telling him to not come back? Like it was good for his health? But he was fine! He would be fine. Hell, he was willing to do backflips if that convinced Keith he was alright. He'd already had enough rest. 

But Keith would be busy. Was it his fault? Had he occupied too much of his time with his stupid fever? So he had been a bother after all. He'd messed with his schedule. And now... Now the only free time Keith had lately... So they wouldn't see each other until the wedding? 

This was happening way sooner than Lance had expected. Say, Keith would be very busy after the wedding too, with post-royal wedding shit. So when would they spend time together again? They just... wouldn't? The hunter had been clinging onto these few remaining days before the wedding with his life. But now he didn't even have that. 

His blue eyes fixed on the prince in astonishment, slowly being covered by a crystal layer of gathered tears, as he felt his bottled up feelings reaching their peak. 'No. I don't want you to marry. I can't leave you. I don't want to leave you. Please let me stay, for a little longer. You can't marry. My bed will feel empty without you. I will feel empty without you. Please don't throw me out. Please don't. Please don't. Please don't-'

But Keith would be busy, and he'd already taken too much of his time. He couldn't be as selfish as to want him for himself, he was a prince for fuck's sake. He had more important places to be, with important people. Keith needed to be a prince, and Lance needed to move aside to allow him to pass through. 'I don't want you to marry., his heart cried. 

Lance you idiot, Keith didn't want to marry either, but there was nothing he could do. Only bringing your thoughts to life would cause him more pain at the actual wedding, and that would be your fault. Stop adding weight to people's emotional charge. You wanna help Keith, don't you?

He then lowered his gaze and covered up his heart's grief with a blink, forcing all of his negative feelings deep deep inside him, and breathed. "Alright. I won't come here," he muttered dryly before laying down his chest on the bed and his cheek on his crossed arms. "I can't skip work though. One day was too much already and we need to pay the landlord soon." 

He closed his eyes right after, indicating it wasn't open for discussion. Any desire he'd had to talk to Keith any longer had been drained along his newfound energy. Right now he just wanted to sleep and forget about everything. 

Lance couldn't fool him anymore. Keith saw straight through him, to where it hurt. He lay his hand on Lance's thigh, unsure of what to say. If Lance didn't want to talk about what bugged him, how was he supposed to help? 

He hadn't expected Lance to react this way at Keith's proposal. It only made sense in Keith's mind, Lance needed rest, more than just one day. Work might be tough to cancel, but that wasn't Lance's only daily task. The Prince knew how much energy Lance must devote to climbing up the tower every night, spending the night with Keith, every moment terrified to be caught. It made sense to relief Lance of that duty, right? Even though he'd have to spend the nights leading up to his wedding alone, without the only person who could numb the pain, make him forget about it. 

So why did Lance struggle with it so much? A few days off didn't sound bad, right? Keith stroked his hand over Lance's upper leg lovingly, pursing his lips to find reason in silence. Didn't he understand that Keith was only doing it for his own good? He pulled his knees up on the bed, turning to face Lance, grabbing his towel of ice and massaging his boyfriend's back and shoulders with it. 

"I know... Neither of us expected this to be so difficult. I know this isn't what you imagined when you started dating me. I'm so, so sorry," he breathed, shoulders dropping and his voice growing unsteady. "I didn't mean to..." He took a deep breath and let it slip away again, determined not to fall apart. He couldn't, Lance needed him to be strong. Lance was still sick, and Lance was the one who'd have to watch his lover marry another. 

Keith tried, just for a second, to put himself into Lance's shoes. To imagine Lance was the Prince, that he'd have to marry Lotor, that he'd be pressured by his surroundings to just.. Accept that. His heart screamed in agony at that thought. 

He needed to be strong, to show Lance that the wedding didn't bother him, that it wouldn't change anything, that there was nothing to worry about. Lance had enough to deal with. But... He also wanted to be honest. Lance had taught him that. 

"I'm scared," he admitted in a whisper, laying the ice aside and wrapping his arms around himself. "I don't want to get married. I.. I'm scared it will change things between us, that you'll look at me differently." Quivering lip, he pushed his nails into his arms to stop the tears. No. He couldn't cry. Keep it together, Keith. "You can't even look at me right now," he said, voice rough and unsteady, pulling at his hair. "Christ, Lance. Look at me. Talk to me. Please."

The still slightly feverish boy had been so ready to fall asleep without being questioned. Just fall asleep to avoid getting buried under any more crushing truths. So when Keith apologized for basically dating him sent a deep feeling of guilt to Lance's core; Keith was making assumptions and blaming himself about his own stupid drama. And worst thing, he'd been reminded of the wedding, everything Lance had wanted to avoid. 

No, the worst thing was, he was redirecting... Whatever Keith had seen in him, to himself, and Keith wasn't guilty. Oh god he'd hurt him. How? He'd played it off cool, he'd kept mostly quiet. Had he come off as rude? He didn't mean to. But he hadn't said anything bad? ..Had he been too obvious? It got more and more difficult to hide his feelings from Keith. And now he was curled up and- pulling his hair? What? 

"Oh god Keith no." He quickly sat up and approached him to embrace him, gently taking his hands in his own afterwards. "Hey- I didn't mean- You're not-" Guilt caused him to stumble over his words, so he took a moment to breathe and choose them carefully. 

"I... I'm alright. I've said it since the beginning, I knew what being together could imply. Of course it was gonna be difficult, but I didn't care, and I still don't," he spoke calmly while stroking Keith's arms, looking to find his eyes under the dark bangs. Not succeeding, he proceeded to caress his head until Keith lifted his gaze, then Lance reached to lay his palm on his jaw and gently raise it towards him.

"Hear me out; I would rather go through all troubles for eternity to spend one day with you, than living an easy life for eternity without ever meeting you," he murmured softly as he stared into his glossy eyes with kind ones, giving him a peck afterwards. '

I'm scared it will change things between us.' "Change doesn't have to mean bad," he reasoned... feeling like a complete hypocrite. Lance, more than anyone, was terrified of change. He couldn't stand anything changing; his family falling apart, being alone, his mother... Leaving. That Keith woke up one morning and didn't love him anymore. Not spending time like they used to. Not sleeping with him anymore.

Keith getting married.

He was utterly scared of change. "I told you there's no reason for me to look at you any differently with marriage," he continued. "The mayor difference will be papers that say you're legally, politically together. That doesn't change who you are." 

He gave him a weak smile, brushing his thumb to prevent Keith's tears from falling. "I won't look at you any differently and I certainly won't stop loving you. You're still you, married or not." He tried to smile despite the heavy pressure on his chest. "Sorry if you thought I was mad or something. I'm not, it's just the fever. My head still kinda hurts." 

His eyes began to water with tears again as he desperately tried to fight them back. "It's just.." he averted his gaze. "I'm scared of change too, I guess..." His smile quivered. "I... I just..." Oh god, what was he doing. He wasn't gonna spill. Fuck no. He really didn't want to do this right now. His head already hurt enough. But he didn't want Keith to blame himself again. But he couldn't blow it. Don't blow it. "I just..." 

But he couldn't hold back the tears already falling anymore.

"I don't want you to marry." His voice strangled the words as he began shaking. Fuck. "I'm sorry- I know you don't want to either- It's stupid- I- I'm so stupid. I'm sorry..." He retired his hands from Keith to try keeping his teary mess away from his sight. "I don't even know why I'm crying," he laughed. 

"Like I thought I had accepted it- I have! I just- I thought I'd still have these few nights to spend with you- and now you're sending me home so I... Have to say goodbye sooner...?" he sobbed. "Cause I know you'll be very busy after the wedding and I don't know if we'll ever sleep together again and I'll feel lonely and by staying here today I only messed with your schedule even more and I was holding onto these last days but now I don't even have that time? So I can't pretend it's not happening anymore... I-I don't wanna leave you...!" he cried, shutting his eyes with a hand on his forehead. Crying only made it hurt more, but he couldn't stop. 

"And I know I've said nothing will really change. We can still find some time to meet, I know- and still I can't help feeling bad...? Christ I'm such a hypocrite." He sniffed. "I know I'm being selfish... I'm not the one marrying, I shouldn't have complains. I-I didn't want to worry you even more... Specially when it's fucking stupid. I don't want you to blame yourself, I'm really sorry...!" Fuck. Why wouldn't he stop crying? At the end he couldn't even keep his promise. "I wanted to be strong for you... But I can't even do that... I'm sorry..."

The moment Lance's worries began spilling out, the heavy weight on Keith's heart started lifting. Not entirely, especially when listening to his boyfriend rant, but it still lightened. At least Lance trusted him enough to talk about it. And the- Lance started crying? Oh. Keith should really have asked him about it before. How had he not seen that Lance needed to talk, to be comforted? 

"Hey, baby," he shushed, wrapping his arms around Lance and pulling him into a warm embrace, leaning his chin on Lance's bare shoulder. "It's okay, Lance. You're not being selfish, you're allowed to feel bad. Hell, I'm the one that should have payed more attention to your feelings." 

He backed off a little to lean his forehead against Lance's. "I.. I know you don't want me to get married. I don't either. It's.." He sighed. "I think its worse for you. Just imagining it's the other way around hurts me, and I'm so sorry you have to go through this." He continued brushing his hands all over Lance's back, his shoulders, every part of his skin he could reach, just to remind the boy he was there. 

Even with tears forcing their way out the corners of his eyes, over his cheeks, Keith searched desperately for ways to comfort his lover, to tell him everything would be alright. But he didn't know that. He couldn't. The only thing he knew, was- "It doesn't matter what will happen, okay? Because I'll still be here, and I'll still love you. You don't have to leave, if you don't want to. I just thought you might like some rest, thought I'd relieve you of some of your responsibilities. But you know I always want you here, with me." 

He smiled sadly and pressed a gentle kiss to Lance's lips, looking into his ocean blue eyes.

"I'll find some way for us to sleep together, okay? Even after the wedding. Maybe.. Maybe I can sneak out of my room, to meet you somewhere in the Castle. I don't think Lotor would mind sleeping without me. We can still be happy, my love. We'll be happy." He closed his eyes and just leaned against his boyfriend for a while, hopefully letting Lance feel how much he loved him, how he had nothing to worry about. Nothing would change. They would be happy. 

He opened them again, laying one hand against Lance's face. "You know I don't always need you to be strong for me, don't you? I only need it when I can't be strong for myself. And even then, I don't need an all powerful Lance. I just need my boyfriend." He nuzzled their noses together. 

"I just need someone who loves me. I'm glad you told me about how you feel, baby. To hear you're just as scared as I am, it's... Comforting, in a way. We're both scared, but we're still together, you know?" He gave his boyfriend a cheeky grin, pecking his lips and holding the blankets open for him. "Now, should we get to sleep? You still need more rest, my dearest."

'You're allowed to feel bad.' That phrase stuck with Lance. Since his mother got sick seven years ago, he'd been unable to feel bad without feeling he couldn't, as long as there were people in a 'worse' place than him. That only caused him to feel even worse. 

But he kept listening to the prince while trying to stop his crying, focusing instead on his gentle touch and kisses. Everything would be alright. Yes, he knew, he wanted to believe that. Sometimes uncertainty just seemed to be too much for him. But he could still stay. Stay? Of course he wanted to. 

But Keith had said he'd be busy... He wouldn't want to distract him from his work. That and Keith's good points of how draining climbing the tower every night was. But he was willing to do it forever if it meant he could see him. But Keith would still be busy... Lance would have to think about it tomorrow. Sleeping together elsewhere did sound thrilling, and ridiculously dangerous. Still thrilling. But what if Lotor moved instead? He had his own room. Smh. 

Yes, they would be happy. Regardless of what changed along the wedding. The nose nuzzling caused him to chuckle and his heart to swell with affection. 'I just need my boyfriend.' 'We're still together.'

"You're literally the cutest ohmygod," he laughed, wiping the remaining trail of tears in his eyes. Yeah... They were still together, still fine, still safe. That was enough. Lance took some ice wrapped in the towels and snuggled close to his boyfriend under the covers, lowering them to his waist so he wouldn't accidentally overheat but also don't catch too much night cold. 

He leaned on his back, leaving one of the towels on his forehead, one on his collarbone and one on his chest, slightly giggling at the amusing image of Keith running to the kitchen and back to his room back and forth with ice on his hands. He then glanced at him, lifting his arm into the pillow so he'd come lay on it. "My dearest. You're so romantic," he teased him with a smile once Keith was next to him, lifting his hand to caress his head. 

"...Thank you, love. For everything, always. For giving me clarity. This wouldn't happen if I just shared my thoughts with you since the beginning," he realized out loud. "I guess I really should start following my own advice." He laughed softly, leaning his head on the ravenette's. "You're right. We wíll be ok, together, regardless of changes. And we'll be okay. I love you... So much." His lips whispered for his heart. "You also need rest. You've done lots of things today, except sleep." 

"I love you too," Keith whispered back, laying his heavy head down on Lance's welcoming biceps, pressing his face beneath his boyfriend's chin, into his sweet scent. "You smell like my shampoo," he murmered. Of course, Lance had showered with his products. God he wanted them to smell of the same things forever. It just felt... Right. 

"I agree," he breathed, drawing small cirkels on Lance's hips with his thumbs. "You should always be honest with me. I may suck at dealing with my own emotions, but I'm great with yours." Not a fair comparison, since Keith's feelings always had more difficult solutions, but still.

"I'm not cute, and I'm not a romantic," he said, half grumpy and half endearing. "I also don't really need that much sleep. I'm not sick, remember. I can take some tiredness," he said, his brain choosing that moment to yawn widely into Lance's chest. 

His instincts caused him to press closer to Lance, but a sharp cold made him back off again, growling in annoyance. Stupid ice, would barely even let him cuddle his boyfriend. He avoided the ice the second time, wrapping an arm around Lance's waist and entangling their legs. "You should stay at home," he breathed. 

"I know you don't want to, but at least take a day or two off. I'm the Prince, I'm sure I can clear it with Shiro. You'll get all the money you need, trust me. I'd never let you go without money. Just.." He pressed a soft kiss to Lance's chest. "It's your choice, I'll support you in whatever you decide, my love." He closed his eyes and let his worries slowly slip into the deep dark, where he found sleep. 

Keith's fake grumpiness was even more amusing to Lance, but he didn't push his cute side any further. He should stay at home..? He really couldn't. A day he didn't work was a day he didn't get payed, and he wasn't payed much. A day he didn't work meant a day they'd have to delay the landlord's payment. And for your sake, you never made him wait. He couldn't afford the luxury of just not working because he was tired, or sick. As long as he could walk, he could hunt.

Then Keith said he'd get 'all the money he needed'. That changed everything. Wasn't Keith unable to financially help him because of the King? Had that changed? Or was Keith just offering his help at the cost of his own well being? If that was the case, Lance could never accept it. Gold washed with his boyfriend's suffering... He couldn't. He couldn't live with that. 

He was about to ask Keith how he planned to do that, but he'd quickly fallen asleep. Pfft. "Cute," he whispered with an amused smile, nuzzling his head and allowing himself to drift into the dream realms as well.


	44. The Slings And Arrows Of Outrageous Fortune

Deep deep asleep, a rather unpleasant memory flashed through his mind. Lance had felt the pair of lips clashing against his own with force, carelessly. He couldn't help backing away and slightly, pushing off the person in front of him. He was perplexed. It'd taken him so off guard that it'd made him uncomfortable. 

"Uh- wh-what a-" He was hushed by the voice before the lips were forced in his own again, gaining a stronger response from Lance. "Stop! I'm saying no.. Why do you always have to make everything so sexual?" He took the arms off his neck, moving the person off his lap to get up. "What, just because I'm a man I have to be horny all the time? To always want it?"

"Christ, you're so dramatic, Leandro," the female voice replied annoyed, rolling her eyes like she'd done nothing wrong.

"No, I'm for real. Every time I try to spend some time with you, to get to know you, to try opening up to you, to vent for a little, to rely on you or just have someone to even listen to me for once, you brush it off like it's nothing. Like my feelings don't matter. Like I'm just here to please you. Being a dude doesn't mean I'm made of stone, Luka. My thoughts and emotions are as valid as yours, you know?"

"Geez. They really were right about how complicated dealing with you was," she sighed. "Look, Leandro, I'd love to snap my fingers and fix all your problems and heal your mama and whatnot, but I can't. Constantly complaining and rambling about how depressing your life is won't make it any different, and it sure is making me tired. I'm not your fairy godmother. We all have shit to deal with. What you need, perhaps, is to grow up for once."

Lance fell silent.

To his teenager eyes, the older girl's words rained upon him like rocks. Was he... Being childish right now? Maybe? I mean, who here knew better about life? Was his voice really that unimportant? She was slightly older. She probably had way more important things to worry about than some younger, less wealthy boy in her village. Plus, she was right. Complaining wouldn't make her mom be any better, or his economic state to improve, or whatever he always came up with. Saying it like that really did make him sound like an attention seeker... Wasn't he though? He was in constant crave for attention from someone else. He didn't care who it was.

He looked down in shame, lips thin in a restrained line, when the girl sighed. "I can't make them disappear, but I can make you forget. We'll have such a good time you won't have time to think about anything else." She grinned, turning her face to the door. "Or... You could always leave. I won't restrain you here." 

Leave? Go back home to face his own reality again? To face his mom? His father? His father... Wouldn't be happy with his attitude. He'd tell him to man up, like always. 

He didn't want to leave. -"Wait-" he pursed his lips, slowly sitting next to her again. "...Sorry, that was stupid, and ungrateful. I won't rant again. So... Can I... Stay with you?"  
The chestnut haired girl grinned, leaning towards his lips a third time.  
And this time, Lance didn't complain.

The next morning the brunette woke up slightly sooner, the bad memory lingering in his mind. He shouldn't have allowed that girl... Or anyone else, to treat him like that. But he didn't know any better at that time. He glanced at his still sleeping boyfriend. Keith had also treated him badly at first, but it was superficial and built in abuse. Deep down Keith had never been a bad person, despite the tough situation he was in. That made him truly remarkable, different from the rest. 

He smiled at his angelic sleeping face lovingly before carefully moving away, silently getting up and dressing up. All of the fever's effects were gone. He felt refreshed, so he could work. Right? Staying home... Was something he really couldn't do. He'd spent enough time doing nothing. And he wasn't a workaholic, because he didn't have a choice. Right? He didn't want Keith getting exposed to danger for him.

He glanced down at Keith, peaceful in his sleep, before Blue came flying through the balcony to wake him up, just to find he'd already dressed up. Had he woken up too early? Well, that meant he still had some time left with his lover. He lay down again, softly caressing his face with the back of his fingers. He had the softest skin, and the most beautiful features. So gorgeous. Beauty impersonated. How could he go on by his day without this? Without delightening himself in this mesmerizing, breath taking view. 

"Te amo," he whispered into the air with a fond smile. Three nights. He so wanted to spend them with him, but he didn't want to take too much of his busy schedule... What should he do...?

The words crept into that half conscious state, just between dreams and waking up, and a smile came to Keith's face. "Yo tambien te amo," he whispered back, reaching around himself and laying an arm over Lance's waist when he found it. Somewhere deep inside, he realised it was morning, that he should get up and start the day, but how could he when Lance's body spread so much warmth through his body? 

Then Blue's chirping hit his ears, and he could no longer deny the arrival of a new day. Fuck. He didn't want to leave Lance's arms yet, didn't want to let go when this could be the last time they cuddled before the wedding. And after that... Who knew? 

He scrunged up his eyes and opened them, unable to to stop the smile splitting his cheeks at the sight of Lance. "Buenos días, guapo," he murmered. Only when his eyes dipped down to check out his boyfriend's gorgeous body did he see he'd already changed into his thieves' clothes. His gaze flew up again, insulted and indignated. 

Wait. Lance being dressed meant he would leave soon. In one movement, Keith rolled on top of his lover, fully awake and determined not to let him go. "I don't want you to leave," he whined grumpily, sleep clear in his voice, lifting his head to meet Lance's eyes. He knew he shouldn't say things like that, that it would only make Lance feel worse, but Keith couldn't keep it to himself either. He wanted to stay with Lance, now and forever.

"Wanna run away with me?" he asked, only half joking. He'd never do it for real, too many things bound him to this place, but this early in the morning anything seemed possible. Even leaving everything and everyone behind and just.. Running away. No Lotor, no marriage, no father, no responsibilities, except taking care of each other. 

He sighed, laying his head back down in defeat. Impossible. Still, they could be happy. Keith would take every opportunity to meet Lance, either in the Castle or outside. The marriage meant nothing, it was only political, as Lance had said. And eventually, Keith would be king, and he could slowly, steadily, begin changing things. He'd divorce Lotor. He'd improve the life quality in the kingdom. He'd make it legal to marry non-royalty. And then he'd publicly be with Lance, in about thirty years or so, if he was lucky. That was still better than not being with Lance at all, right? 

"Will you take today off, at least?" he asked softly, nearly as a plea. "For me? I don't want you to get sick again. You need one more day of rest, and then you can be your stupid self and go work again, okay?" He shifted so his legs rested on the mattress on either side of Lance's hips, and he leaned low over him to kiss him, using his lips to convince his boyfriend, to bribe him into taking the day off.

Little did Keith know he had already defeated Lance when he greeted him back in spanish, twice. He would never get over it, it was too much for his weak-for-Keith racing heart. Then suddenly the sleepy prince was on top of him, with the cutest and most heartwarming grumpy attitude ever. It only brought a smile to his face. Even more when he suggested running away, to which he answered between laughter. "Sure." 

He could never do it for real though. Leaving his family behind...? On their own, against the king? And what about the rest of the kingdom? They needed Keith. But ignoring all odds and just imagining running away with his lover, riding into the sunset with no strings attached, sounded pretty cool. 

He wondered what was going through his lover's mind though. He clearly didn't want him to go. It made Lance both happy and sad; happy, because Keith and him shared one braincell and one thought; and sad, because... They had the same thoughts. So Keith felt the same about him leaving with the wedding just around the corner. 

And then he asked him with his puppy face to take a break, with the almighty magic words 'For me'. Keith was such a cheater. He knew Lance would do anything for him, always. Smh.  
But if that wasn't enough, having him trapped beneath him and his sweet kiss sure finished him off completely. 

"Mm- You little cheater. Are you trying to seduce me into healthy resting patterns?~" he chuckled against his soft lips, sitting up and cupping his face. He really couldn't refuse him anything huh. Whatever excuses and arguments he'd had earlier that morning just... Vanished, when he looked into that pair of indigo eyes in front of him. "Alright. I guess one day without working won't hurt," he chuckled, meeting his lips once again. 

They still had a few minutes left, might as well enjoy them and make the most of them, right? His hands slowly trailed down his slim waist to his hips, where they stayed with a firm hold to keep the prince in place while his lips worked. He kissed him long and sweet, slowly increasing the intensity, his hands pressing his body against his own like they couldn't be close enough.

Keith grinned into the kiss, glad to have convinced his stubborn boyfriend into at least one day of rest. And then the kisses.. Oh god, the kisses. He could live off of them, just feeling those sweet lips on his own, Lance's steady hold on his body, the warmth shared by both of them. That kiss could make a doomed man light up. And it did. Keith forgot all about his life, about everything around him, except for Lance. "I love you," he murmered in between their lips when he pulled back to breathe. "And I'm glad you're finally listening to me." 

He gave Lance a quick peck. "I wish I could convince you to stay all day, but.. I need you to go home, to rest. And I have a few things to catch up on, duties and such I could do yesterday." When he saw Lance's guilty expression, he cupped his face and gave him a sweet smile. "Honey, don't worry. That's not your fault, and a little extra work doesn't bug me. Even though I hated seeing you sick, I did love taking care of you, seeing you multiple times a day, and Fever You was adorable to deal with." 

Keith's reassurances were interrupted by a sharp whistle from the windowsill, and Keith cursed under his breath. "I guess that means it's nearly time for you to leave," he murmered regretfully. "I..." He sighed, catching Lance's lips again, tracing his muscled arms all the way up to the shoulders and then spinning his hands into Lance's hair. He was gonna miss this. Would it be selfish to hope Lance would return to him, on the night before his wedding? Just to have one more happy night before the pain that would follow? 

He pulled away and gave Lance a look that said everything he wanted to say. How much he would miss him, how he hoped Lance would feel better, get better, and how getting married would hurt, but not as much because he knew Lance would be there to catch him. "I love you," he breathed, for the third time that morning.

"Give your mother my best, and-" He got off Lance, slid off the bed in his nightgown and made his way over to the desk. He opened a drawer, and took something out, before jumping back on the bed, close to his lover, holding out a hand. On his palm, shimmering in the pre-sunrise light, lay a small, golden coin. It wasn't worth that much, not to Keith at least, but it might help pay for rent, now that Lance wouldn't work for two days. He pecked Lance's lips before he could argue, and slid the coin into one of Lance's pockets. "That's for your mother, to help her pay that asshole landlord of yours. And I won't hear a no, okay? I want to help, at least a little bit. Now, hurry up. The sun is almost rising."

Like the prince had said, Lance was left with no time to argue between being taken aback by the money and being silenced by Keith's lips again. "But-" could he really refuse it when he knew he needed it? His family needed it, if he missed one more day from work. "I-" will return it? Could he really? He couldn't owe this amount of money. One gold coin was worth tons of their regular copper. 

Plus, if he returned it it would only be for his own self-induced feeling of guilt, not because Keith needed it, because he didn't. Royalty was loaded with unnecessary riches. Plus, such insignificant amount for royalty wouldn't be noticed by the King. And it was Keith's, not stolen money. Keith wanted to help him rest. As much as the brunette wanted to refuse, he knew he had no real motive to, and ended up sighing in defeat. 

"Alright. Thank you so much, love. Trust me; it does help. And my mom will appreciate it too." His lips curled into a grateful smile as he leaned to press a soft kiss on the prince's cheek. "I love you too. Perhaps one of these days I can make it up to you by taking you to dinner somewhere? Under the moonlight?" 

He smirked while getting up, bowing down afterwards and gently taking Keith's graceful hand to his lips. "If you honor me by granting me such fine evening, my prince," he spoke with a low voice, gaze cheeky and a seductive grin, taking in all of his boyfriend's beauty before grabbing his arrows and pulling up his mask to disappear through the remaining shadows in the balcony.

Keith watched him leave with a half smile on his face, glad he'd taken the money but sad to see him go. If Lance wouldn't come tonight, they'd have just one more night together before the wedding. One. And that was if Lance felt well enough to climb by that time. Maybe they wouldn't see each other at all anymore. Trying to block that thought, Keith watched the sun rise, then rolled out of bed and started his day.

Almost getting married turned out to be exhausting. He'd barely finished breakfast when Luxia, a tall, calm woman who constantly carried around a clipboard for her job as the castle's official event planner, approached him in the great hall, arms full of forms in need of Keith's attention. Great. 

Together, they worked through all of them, from catering choices to lighting arrangements to last minute adjustments of the guest lists - a faraway queen had sailed her ship straight into a storm and would be unable to attend, so they had place for the duchess of Marabella and her seven children. By the end of the afternoon, Keith had absorbed so much information, his head would explode, so he left the last few details for Luxia to figure out, and hurried to his own Chambers, where a small team of tailors and seamstresses had set up shop, with the goal of creating his wedding gowns.

Half an hour later, Keith had discovered he preferred the choice making from this morning. He had to stand perfectly still in his near underwear while multiple people wrapped fabric around him and measured his limbs and judged his skin tone compared to the shade of red on the gown. It was humiliating, especially because they were making an outfit for the literal worst day of his life. 

At least Lance couldn't see him like this, couldn't look at him with that expression he had whenever something embarrassing happened, like he pitied Keith and was also trying to hold back laughter. When they accidentally pricked a needle into his skin for the seventh time, he gave a glare so deadly that they shut up and worked quicker from then on. 

They'd just made the final adjustments and pulled the whole thing off him, when the bell outside signalled eight o clock, dinnertime. Keith shot into his own, comfortable clothes and dashed away before they could wrap the measuring tape around his waist and call him skinny one more time. Now he only had to deal with the food, his abusive father, his arch nemesis/betrothed, the Olkari family, and the two other royal families that had arrived this afternoon. 

He rubbed his eyes and sat down, the rest of the chairs already filled, before the first course was served and Keith nearly dozed off at the dinner table, still keeping the outwards appearance of attentiveness, as if he was really interested in the King of Marchanda and the new additions to his collection of silk gowns.

Keith wasn't as subtle as he thought, however. Not to Lotor's swift observer eyes. While the rest of the royals chatted on the table and casually made conversation with him, he could tell wannabe prince across the table was done with the wedding preparations already. Lotor scoffed. 

Perhaps Keith had beaten him in battle last time, but being so weak to the point he could barely handle preparations for a day showed how much he lacked to be a proper prince, less a proper ruler. The pressure of being a king would destroy him. Good thing Lotor was there to fix his messes and make up for Keith's lack of physical and psychological resistance. Keith had only beat him once with brute strenght, but who would end up carrying the whole kingdom on his back? Who would build an empire? Exactly.

But if there was one royal completely spacing out from the whole dinner it was Katie. Last night she hadn't payed much attention to the staff standing in the dining room due to her conversation with Prince Keith, but she had tonight out of curiosity mixed with boredom. And her eyes happened to find a pair of familiar ones; far across the room, the head cook stood along some other cooks, royal hunters, waiters and servants. 

She immediatly recognized the dark haired head cook staring at her with a face almost as shocked as hers. She knew Hunk worked here, though she thought if she just avoided the kitchen she wouldn't cross paths with him. In Olkari they never had their employees standing still in their dining room while they ate, it was quite cruel and degrading, to force people to stand and watch as you ate what they'd prepared for you but couldn't afford, all the way fearing to be judged by you if you didn't find it good enough for your exquisite royal palate. Lance had told her about it, but she'd forgotten, until now.

Her hazel eyes searched around for her other friend, but he wasn't with the royal hunters. That meant he wasn't involved with this dinner. Katie then lowered her gaze back to her plate to avoid questions from the other royals. The look Hunk had given her... He'd totally recognized her. Of course, they'd been friends for years, he'd have to be blind to not recognize her. But Hunk was the kindest soul, so she wouldn't be in trouble for sneaking into the kingdom as a peasant boy.  
She was only in trouble with Hunk. Him and Lance had never been fond of royalty. What was he thinking now that he knew? Did Lance know too? Would they... Not like her anymore? Hate her, even? She'd pretended to be someone else for years, they must think she was just playing with them...  
The short girl kept eating, unmotivated. Even if they hated her, they were the best friends she'd ever had. They deserved to hear it from her, despite the result.  
It was time to come clean.

.....

The moon was slowly rising along thousands of stars, reflecting it's bright light across Lance's room. When he arrived this morning he was greeted by his mother, who immediately took him to the shower to cool down his already cured fever. Apparently Keith had also told Hunk, who'd told his mom so she wouldn't worry, but it kind of had the opposite effect. Though Lance didn't refuse her warm hugs and magic beverages and balanced meals and motherly affection. And the songs he'd grown listening to, sung by her again. 

Lance couldn't remember a time he'd been this happy. Don't get him wrong, of course Keith made him extremely happy, the happiest he'd ever been, but this was another kind of happiness. A joy he hadn't been able to feel since he was a kid. A mother's love, deep and true, pure and peaceful, selfless and endless, wrought in the moment he began to exist. His cheeks hurt from smiling all day, but it'd been totally worth it. 

The sun had set some hours ago as the moon was almost at it's highest. It told Lance his lover was long done having dinner with the royals. Normally, he'd be changing his outfit in the forest and getting ready to sneak past security at the right minute to climb meters and meters up to the prince's room, to see him and comfort him to sleep after a tough day of dealing with his royal demons.

Or, according to his siblings; -"Earth calling McClain Jr. Thinking of sneaking out to party with your boyfriendgirlfriend?" his brother teased, Lance rolling his eyes in reply. "What do they have that I don't?"

-"They're not annoying, and they're very pretty," Lance mocked his brother next to him with his tongue out, Marco playfully smacking his head in return. "Ow! What? You asked," he laughed with a hand on his head for any more upcoming hits.

"Idiota. Looks seem to run on the family tho." Marco laughed at Lance's offended pout. "But on a more serious note, you barely spend time with me nowadays. Now that I'm here, why not recover that? I taught you everything you know, but you don't know everything I have to teach you." Lance's smile faded.

"Now that you're here huh," the brunette spoke, voice solid. "Well, you sure taught me lots of things. Like fleeing when things get rough," he dropped. "Finding comfort in foreign houses..." Marco had clearly been taken aback by his accusations, but Lance didn't regret it. It was only the truth that he'd left them when everything started to fall apart inside that house. Sure, he supported them financially, but he was never there. He'd taken off with his merchant team and left them alone, let Lance alone, with a broken family. 

"Y'know... I admired you, despite everything, despite Commander Shirogane. He's always been my hero, but you were a close second." He smiled sideways, gaze lost somewhere in the past. "You know Luis has always been dad's favourite. Mom was sick, Veronica was never home and I guess when you weren't there to guide me anymore I... Grew to somewhat resent you." He grimaced bitterly. 

After a long pause, Marco's voice was heard, but Lance didn't look. "Lance, I... I didn't know.. I'd never thought about it like that." He sounded genuinely guilty, he probably really didn't know.

"Of course you couldn't know, you weren't here."

"Lance." His brother placed a hand on his shoulder, Lance turning his face to him. He looked.. Hurt. "I'll admit I was a coward. At first I invested all of my time in working to help mom, but it later became an excuse to not check on her. On you. I..." He breathed deeply. "Every time I came here she would be worse. I really couldn't stand it. I feared one day I'd come see her and... She wouldn't be here anymore."

Lance pursed his lips. That was exactly how he'd felt. "And therefore I stopped visiting you and Rach. Veronica and Luis carried the most economic weight at that point, I left both Rach and you with my part of responsability. I ran, and I hid, and I never realized how much of an impact it would have on you. I... I've failed you, as a brother. I hope one day you can forgive me, Lance." 

Lance almost couldn't take his brother's expression. He'd only seen him like this when their mother fell ill; He was... Very close to crying. "I won't run away again. I know there is no way for you to believe me, I know it's late, but... I'm here now, if you still want your brother back."  
Lance didn't hesitate.

"I will always want my brother, Marco." Lance replicated the gesture and put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "I... I know. It's been hard for all of us, in different ways, I just... Didn't completely understood why you'd left. You always seemed to play off your feelings the best; it was difficult to guess you'd be feeling like that too... And I'm sorry too," he apologized. "I should've never blamed you for my mistakes, or anything I've done. All of that was completely my choice, inspired or not by someone else." 

And it wasn't like Marco had taught him anything bad ever, either. He'd taught Lance from a young age that stealing wasn't good; it was one of his first lessons, because it had also been Marco's. But Lance had grown it into a habit anyway, and no one had pushed him, except himself. 

"I'm just as responsible for my actions as you. You always did your best to teach me values, even if you were drifting away you still taught me how to hunt. I wouldn't be where I am, who I am today, if it wasn't for you. We all make mistakes, you haven't failed me." He chuckled. "Also... I still had my siblings. You did not. I should've reached out to you too... But I'm here now, if you still need a brother?"

Marco laughed fondly. "You sure learn fast from me, hermano. Yeah; I will always need you." Lance smiled. "Next time don't bottle up your feelings like that. Though you also picked that up from me, I guess. Or, well, all of us." All of them. Lance guessed that made sense, they'd all been unable to manage their mom's illness any other way that wasn't drifting apart or pretending everything was fine. It was how his father handled it, after all; They all followed after. 

"Well, now that that's cleared up I do need you to concentrate, put your boyfriendgirlfriend aside and learn to play this." Marco then reached for the instrument he'd left leaning on the wall and sat on the floor, Lance following after. He tilted his head to the side with a confused expression.

"That's a weird ass lute." Marco chuckled.

"That's because it's not a lute bro." Lance was even more confused, so he studied the shape of the wood and the number of strings.

"Uh... A Moorish Guitar?"

"Nope, those are pear shaped."

"A Vihuela?"

"They have six double strings, this one doesn't." It had four.

"Hm." He stared at the plucked string instrument some more, looking at it's fine design in the middle. The wood was high quality as well. "It looks fancy."

"Sure is, it's the king of instruments within the spanish. Call it a lute update; Latin Guitar." Guitar. Sure sounded weird, but fancy. It sounded even fancier when Marco played it, the sound being kinda different from the lute's. More.. Smooth? "Someone traded it to me the other day. Wanna learn? Perhaps you could serenade your boyfriendgirlfriend." Lance chuckled deeply at the way he said it. Serenade Keith. Well, it wasn't a bad idea.

A hand on his waist. A hand in his own. Keith closed his eyes, blocking the burning feeling, the burning cold on his skin. Not the time to show weakness. 

When he opened them again, Lotor and he were still spinning around the ballroom, the severe woman known as Dayak, Lotor's dance instructor, standing in a corner to observe them. She'd approached the two of them before they had time to sneak out of the dining room. The princes had known this was coming, and while Lotor saw it as tedious, annoying and unnecessary, Keith had more reason not to want to dance. The pain. Haphephobia. He'd never get used to it, not with Lotor at least. How could anything feel that cold? 

They danced around the room again, the cheerful, uptight tune of the waltz driving their feet. Oh, how he wished he could dance here with Lance. His boyfriend had once said fancy, royal dances weren't his thing, but maybe Keith could teach him, and then they'd dance all night long.

"Watch it, runt," Lotor snapped, stopping the dance and pushing Keith away, rubbing the foot on which Keith had stepped. Oops. Don't get distracted, Keith. Focus. And don't think of Lance. Well, at least he could relax again, now those awful hands had left his body. On the downside, a very angry Dayak stormed towards him.

"Prince Yorak!" she growled. "You'd think that after years of dance lessons, you would have moved past the stage of stepping on people's feet." Keith turned his gaze down guiltily. "I didn't mean to. I misstepped." Dayak scoffed. "Misstepped indeed. You would think you've never danced a waltz before. Your posture is too stiff, your expressions not stiff enough. And you, Prince Lotor," she said, turning to the other, grumpier Prince. "You seem to have forgotten every lesson I ever gave you. Do you need a reminder of what happens to princes who make sloppy mistakes?" Now, Lotor lost his bravado too, and turned his gaze down the same way Keith had done. "No, mistress," he mumbled.

"Watch your step," she told Keith again, before meeting Lotor's eyes. "And you, loosen your grip. You look like you're trying to fight your fiance, instead of dance with him." Keith nearly laughed. Lotor would much rather fight him. And yes, Keith had noticed the strong grip as well, for this dance had hurt even more than their previous ones. At the 'again' of the instructor, Lotor reluctantly took Keith's hand again, letting the other rest on Keith's waist, gentler this time, and Keith reluctantly let him. The music restarted, and their feet moved along.

Dayak made them practice all night, not settling for anything but absolute perfection, and when they finally achieved it, she needed to make sure they could keep it up. For two more hours. Keith had lost all feeling in his hand by the time they finally quit. Finally allowing himself to shiver all over, he hurried back to his room, desperate to fall asleep in his lover's- Oh. That's when he realised, Lance wouldn't be there tonight. He'd have to sleep on his own. He hadn't done that since... Weeks. Would even be able to fall asleep? His hurried steps slowed, gaze turned down and shoulders slumped.

When he finally got to his room, he'd intended to quickly wash and go straight to bed to forget about the fact that Lance should be here, but something stopped him. On his desk sat a beautiful bird, bright blue feathers and a sharp gaze, next to a brown, paper bag. "Blue," Keith sighed, hurrying to her and scratching her behind the head, the place he knew she enjoyed most. Had Lance sent her? As soon as he opened the package, a smile fell over his face. Definitely Lance. Inside the bag sat a cupcake, perfect pink topping with a single strawberry pressed into it. It stood on top of a letter, which Keith carefully opened, sitting down on his bed.

'To my dearest Prince.'

Yes, definitely Lance. The rest of the letter could be summerised with 'Thank you for taking care of me, my mom is also very grateful. I made you this cupcake as a treat, because you always smell of strawberries. I hope you had a good day, that you don't go to bed too late, and that you dream of me. I love you.' But written in Lance's beautiful words, which made Keith's heart jump with love. 

He scribbled a small note back, tied it to Blues leg and watched her fly away, while nibbling on his cupcake.

'I love you too, my dearest.' Next to the note, he'd made a sloppy little doodle of two figures, sharing a kiss, with a small heart above it. It may be totally cheesy and horrible, but the Prince knew his boyfriend would find it amusing. After that, he hurried to bed, closing his eyes beneath the blankets to dream of his lover.

The hunter had gone to bed early that night after learning the basics of latin guitar. He'd always wanted to learn how to play an instrument, like he'd told Keith months ago, but couldn't afford the classes or the instrument itself. 

That night, despite not having listened to Keith play, he dreamt of the prince, dressed in white and golden attire, playing a song on his piano just for Lance to listen. It was a melody he'd never heard before and yet resulted familiar, loving, and it spread an inner peace through all of his body. Lance found himself on top of the piano, singing along short lyrics, but with profound fondness and meaning. It felt... Quite like wedding vows. What an extra way to get married. Marrying... Keith? Wait what?

"Keith's your boyfriend?" a voice was quick to startle him from his dream, waking him up with confusion. His sleepy eyes first found sunrays coming through the window, then his sister and roommate poking his nose evilly. Wait what had she-

"...¿Qué?" Lance asked, half asleep, half hiding his confusion and rising panic. How-

"You mutter his name in your sleep, dumbass," Rachel smirked mischievously. "You also seemed to reach out to hold him. So cheesy." Lance froze. He did what? Perhaps he unconsciously missed him? Ok, he consciously did, but in his sleep? How much had he said, exactly? 

"Hm.. Though, now that I think about it, isn't that Prince Yorak's first name? Keith?" Lance's jaw dropped.

"Did I really say Keith? I meant Ke.... ef. Keef. A dog. In my dream," he hurried to explain, sitting up with a nervous smile. "He was the cutest, you should've seen him. He was a... Very good boy. The goodest." No lying there, Keith was the best boi, and the cutest. "I tried to call him but he wouldn't come to me. Perhaps that's what you heard."

Rachel stared at him intensely, trying to see if he was telling the truth, but she had no real motive to think otherwise.

"Hm. Perhaps he saw your face and ran away," she teased him, Lance sighing in relief yet frowning at the insult.

"Rachel, we are literally twins." He chuckled. Like two drops of water, like looking at a genderbent mirror. By insulting him she was insulting herself, which was very amusing.

"Huh. I don't look anything like you, I have no idea what you're talking about," she pretended to not know and walked out of the room, leaving Lance with a smile. He did feel more rested, having slept earlier and woken up later in the morning. No way denying climbing up the tower late and climbing down early in the morning every single day was exhausting. However... Waking up with his lover in his arms? To his rough yet soft and gentle voice? And the coconut shampoo scent of his hair tickling his skin? And his tremendous beauty being the first thing his eyes got to see? Yeah. It was so worth it. 

He smiled to himself while daydreaming like a lovesick teenager before the corner of his eye caught the small note on his desk. Blue probably left it overnight when they were already asleep. The seal wasn't broken, and Lance silently appreciated his overly curious sister respected his privacy and didn't peek through his letters as he opened it.

And what he found brought a pink shade to his cheeks; It was a tiny doodle! For him! Of them kissing. 'Oh god. Keith is literally so adorable,' he thought as he giggled, both with amusement and inmense adoration. So cute. He could tell by the note that he'd managed to make Keith happy last night and honestly? That was all he ever needed. Sure, might not be the same as waking up to him, but every little thing was appreciated, and the drawing alone made his whole being beam. He took the note to his heart while sighing with content, before getting up to start the day.

......

"Hey dude, good to see you up and running again," Hunk greeted the hunter as he entered the big kitchen, leaving the catch of the day skinned and ready to cook to the other staff. "A little bird told me you had a fever. He looked so nervous it made me quite worried though, not gonna lie." Ah, of course. Keith had probably never seen any other human besides himself sick before, and not that close. He did look worried to death.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm not dying anytime soon. Just needed some rest," he reassured his friend while washing his hands before approaching him, lifting his gaze to admire the big ass cake on the table. "Holy shit Hunk- That's- A ginormous cake," Lance breathed in astonishment. He'd never seen a wedding cake with so many levels, so much frosting and decorations, and it was big. Ridiculously so. "Think it's big enough for royalty?"

"I sure hope so. I'm tired of working on a ladder," Hunk sighed. "But I wasn't the chef this time." He threw a smile at the girl on the other side of the cake; she was strong, with a dark chocolate skin that matched her light hazel eyes. She also had short chocolate hair, meaty lips and in her ears a pair of large gray hoop earrings.

"Oh come on, this cake wouldn't be near as pretty without your help," the noble baker girl complimented him back bashfully, contaging the cook with the same joyful smile and reddish face - as the rest of the cooks silently longed for recognition as well -. 

"Oh, hello Lance."

"Sup Shay." Lance held back his own smile at the heartwarming scene. They were so cute together, Lance wondered why they wouldn't just let their shyness aside and start dating already. It was endearing though, how pure and angelic both of them were. "Oh you're just in time by the way." Hunk smiled at Lance, who frowned in confusion.

"In time? For what?"

(Credit for the adorable art goes to my lovely girlfriend and writing partner, Raven😘 [insta: @_.ravenfeather._ for more of her amazing work)   
-Turns out you can't add images to ao3 stories, but Raven made the most gorgeous drawing of our two lovebirds.


End file.
